Congressional Black Caucus Criticizes Speaker for Snubbing President Ruto’s Address to Congress
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of the United States has criticized the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, James Johnson, for not allowing President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
In a post on X, the CBC expressed their pride in hosting President Ruto, to whom they granted honorary membership in the CBC.
“While Speaker Johnson might not have given the President of Kenya the chance to address a Joint Session of Congress, the CBC was proud to welcome President Ruto to the United States Capitol today. We were honored to present President Ruto with honorary membership in the CBC. This follows Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to host Kenyan President William Ruto for a joint session of Congress, a courtesy typically extended to other international leaders,” the post stated.
During the meeting at the Capitol, Ruto praised the Congressional Black Caucus for their efforts in promoting social justice, human rights, and economic development worldwide.
“Kenya recognizes the special role that the Congressional Black Caucus continues to play in advancing social justice, human rights, and economic development globally,” Ruto remarked.
“We urge Congress to lead in restructuring the global financial system to ensure power is not concentrated in the hands of a few. A bold, robust, and targeted approach will free Africa from its debt burden and transform the world,” Ruto added.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is an organization composed of African American members of the United States Congress.
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This group aims to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority communities and ensure their voices are heard in the legislative process.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Speaker Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, Raj Shah, explained that the decision not to invite Ruto to address a joint session of Congress was due to scheduling constraints.
“Speaker Johnson welcomes President Ruto to the Capitol. We have offered the Kenyan embassy over 90 minutes of engagement, including a one-on-one meeting with Speaker Johnson, a bipartisan leadership meeting with Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Committee Chairmen, and Ranking members, and a bicameral meeting.
“Unfortunately, due to scheduling constraints, we could not accommodate a request for remarks before a Joint Session,” the statement read.
Ruto would have been the first Kenyan leader to speak before a joint meeting of Congress and the first African leader to do so since Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2006.
A formal request for Ruto to address Congress was made by House Foreign Affairs Committee Member Gregory Meeks and Committee Chairman Michael McCaul to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Congressional Black Caucus Criticizes Speaker for Snubbing President Ruto’s Address to Congress