SPLC Action Fund Statement on Passage of House Appropriations Minibus Bill

WASHINGTON — SPLC Action Fund Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks released the statement below after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.7617, a House appropriations bill with a vote of 217-197. The “minibus” bill contains provisions to fund, for the first time, hate crime training for state and local law enforcement; domestic radicalization research; additional funds for investigation and prosecution of white supremacist groups and racially-motivated extremists; a number of police reform initiatives; and funding to help ensure the renaming of military installations currently named for Confederate leaders.

“We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the minibus package today. As white supremacists and racially-fueled violence increase in the United States, this is a good step in the long road to confronting the magnitude of the problem and eradicating hate in our country.

“The SPLC Action Fund is particularly pleased to see funding for the creation of a commission to rename military installations renamed after Confederate leaders. Our armed forces cannot seriously expect to reduce prejudice within the military’s ranks without addressing the numerous dehumanizing symbols of the Confederacy that still litter military bases.

“We are also encouraged that the House has prioritized funding to help address many of the systemic problems in our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, specifically for officer accountability and training. As a country, we are grappling with our racist history, as we have continued to witness the senseless extrajudicial killings of unarmed Black men, women and children. 

“The SPLC Action Fund now urges the Senate to include these same provisions in their bill and pass it. Now is the time for our elected leaders to show that they are against hate and bigotry in all its forms.”