Readout of White House Roundtable with Civil Rights Leaders on Equitable Implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Yesterday, Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice, White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, and Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young hosted a roundtable with national civil rights leaders to discuss how the Administration will advance equity and racial justice and build a better America by implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The senior White House officials outlined the President’s commitment to ensuring that federal infrastructure funding reaches underserved communities and addresses persistent poverty, generates equitable job creation, maximizes the power of new federal contracting opportunities to narrow racial and gender wealth gaps and historical disparities, improves accessibility for people with disabilities, and advances civil rights. They underscored that the President has directed his team to ensure that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law advances equity and environmental justice. Finally, the officials thanked the civil rights leaders present for their powerful advocacy and for their partnership in advancing equitable implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Civil rights leaders shared a number of ideas about how implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can advance equitable outcomes in underserved and low-income communities and make long overdue investments in communities of color, communities facing persistent poverty, Tribal and territorial communities, and urban and rural communities that have faced decades of disinvestment or harmful infrastructure projects. Advocates also highlighted that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create new, good-paying, and union jobs that present a generational opportunity to expand job opportunities for underserved communities who face disproportionately high unemployment rates. Participants emphasized the value of continued meaningful collaboration with businesses, workers, and communities to help realize these goals of equity in infrastructure investments.

Organizations participating in yesterday’s roundtable included:

• American Association of People with Disabilities
• Aspen Institute Latinos and Society (AILAS) Program
• Black Economic Alliance
• Build Back Together
• Color of Change
• Hispanic Federation
• Joint Center
• Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights
• National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders
• National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
• National Congress of American Indians
• National Urban League
• National Women’s Law Center
• Race Forward
• U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• United Southern and Eastern Tribes
• UnidosUS