We are horrified by the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. Tragedies like these, and the racial and economic disparities exacerbated by the pandemic must be directly acknowledged and forcefully addressed. The Bipartisan Policy Center believes there are solutions to police brutality and economic inequality that are informed by conservative and progressive political ideology. The commitment to racial equity, peaceful protest and the repudiation of violence is not about “left” and “right.” It is about right and wrong.

Our nation’s strength and success depend upon engaging, understanding, and integrating diverse views into sustainable policy solutions. The Bipartisan Policy Center exists to help our nation’s leaders succeed at this difficult task.

Now, more than ever, we reaffirm and reinvigorate our commitment to supporting an equitable and inclusive organization that dignifies differences and strives to make meaningful progress for America.

BPC released a new national poll funded by The Rockefeller Foundation that found the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately hurting minority voter households. BPC's Shai Akabas and Jason Grumet discussed the implications of the poll's findings and potential reforms to support American workers and their families.

The pandemic exacerbated many of the challenges women—especially women of color—face regularly. Women continue to experience higher levels of unemployment, shoulder an unequal share of household chores, risk their health as frontline workers, and face dropping out of the workforce as a result of these pressures. Policymakers must continue to build upon paid sick and family leave policies to help women get back in the workforce and balance the demands of work and family.

Congress is the forum for our country to grapple with the challenges of our time, give voice to the views of citizens, and to decide who we want to be as a nation and the direction we want to move in. That function is desperately needed now as we confront the deep-rooted racial and economic disparities that have been brought to the fore by the horrific killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others.

Child care programs faced challenges with their physical infrastructure long before the pandemic. As the country begins to recover, we should be prioritizing investments in child care facilities to create a stronger and more resilient child care system that keeps children and providers safe and healthy.