Biden reveals economic plan to combat racial inequality, criticizes Trump for fueling tensions


Joe Biden unveiled on Tuesday an ambitious plan to combat racial inequality in the United States that focuses on assisting small minority business owners and making housing more affordable for families of color, while criticizing the president. Donald Trump for “intentionally fanning the flames of division of racism”.

In a speech from a high school gym in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Biden spoke about the plan, which represents the last bulletin board on his four-part economic revitalization agenda “Build Back Better,” before criticizing the response. Trump’s pandemic and his reaction. to protests over racial inequality and surveillance in the United States

“Donald Trump faces a real test, and he has failed it,” Biden said. “The duty to care for the entire country, not just for his reelection prospects.”

“It has shown that it cannot beat the pandemic and keep you safe,” Biden continued. “And he is, horribly, and not surprisingly, intentionally fanning the flames of division and racism in this country.”

Biden said he spoke to the late representative John Lewis, a titan of the civil rights movement, on his deathbed and that Lewis asked him to “stay focused on the work that remains to be done.”

Biden’s plan, the details of which were released earlier in the day by his campaign, requires investing $ 150 billion in spending already allocated to help minority small business owners. About a third of that amount would be private and public venture capital for black and brown entrepreneurs, while the other $ 100 billion will go toward low-interest business loans for state, local, tribal, and nonprofit member loans. of the community.

The campaign also proposed setting a new target to spend 15 percent of federal purchases on disadvantaged small businesses, primarily for those owned by blacks and browns.

The plan contrasts with Trump’s focus on race. In recent weeks, Trump has taken several steps to stoke racial and cultural divisions. Since late June, he has promoted a video on Twitter showing a man in a golf cart with Trump campaign gear yelling “white power,” has refused to call the Confederate flag offensive, has criticized NASCAR. for banning the Confederate flag in their careers and threatened to veto a major defense bill on a provision requiring the military to rename bases that honor Confederate generals.

Biden’s plan largely repackages dozens of policies already proposed by the campaign that directly address black, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American communities. But by adding them to its large-scale economic package, they could have a greater chance of becoming legislation as the campaign considers incorporating the agenda into future stimulus proposals during a Biden presidency.

The plan also sets out how Biden would prioritize helping black and brown communities find affordable housing. The plan calls for a new construction of 1.5 million homes and public housing units and the creation of a new advanced tax credit of up to $ 15,000 designed to help families of color make a down payment on their first homes.

In an effort to improve employment opportunities for nonviolent offenders, the proposal calls for helping states modernize their criminal justice records so that local governments can quickly remove or seal records.

The final pillar of Biden’s “Build Again Better” economic agenda comes as the United States continues to grapple with race protests and police surveillance that were affected by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and because the pandemic of Coronavirus has disproportionately affected communities of color.