U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge Says Country Needs to Address Race

News Article

By Stephanie Warsmith

U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge told an Akron audience Thursday that the country needs to address race.

Fudge rattled off half a dozen incidents involving violent acts against African-American men and women in the U.S. in the past two weeks.
"Race is a sore that has never healed in this country," she said, garnering applause from the crowd of about 320 during an Akron Roundtable luncheon. "We have to deal with race in this country -- and we just won't do it."

Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights, a congressional member since 2008 who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, said she supports an idea proposed by Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and Akron Police Chief James Nice to have the FBI investigate officer-involved shootings across the nation.

Plusquellic and Nice sent letters this week to the FBI, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Urban League suggesting this change.

"I am so grateful that they are looking at ways to make it consistent how we handle this across the country," said Fudge, who represents the 11th District that spans from Cleveland to Akron.

Fudge said the government has a role to play in people's lives. She talked about the importance of federal assistance, such as unemployment benefits, food stamps, Pell grants for college and research funds for universities. She said without the federal government extending unemployment benefits, more people would have lost their jobs.

Fudge said the Republicans think cutting taxes is the answer to spurring economic development, but they haven't worked.

"There is no "jobs bill,' " she said, referring to a popular term used by politicians.

Fudge urged Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which plans to build a new tire plant someplace in the Americas, to consider locating it in Northeast Ohio.

"Let us compete," she said. "Maybe you can't build right here in Akron or right in Cleveland, but you could somewhere in the region."

Fudge spoke for about 15 minutes and then answered questions from the audience.

Asked how the federal government can continue to provide assistance and maintain a healthy budget, Fudge asked, "If you had a healthy budget, what would you do with it?" She said the federal government has only had a balanced budget once in the past 50 years.

"When people are hurting, it's our job to take care of them," she said. "What we ought to do is make sure that everyone who owes us a dime pays us."

Another audience member asked about how the federal government can improve school nutrition. Fudge said this is a tricky issue because many schools lack refrigeration to store fresh produce and many children, when given healthy food, throw it away. In addition, she said providing nutritious options can be more expensive for already cash-strapped districts required to provide free breakfasts and lunches.

"I don't really know the answer," she admitted.

Fudge interjected humor into her remarks several times, such as when she talked about voting rights in Ohio and how the rules seem to be changed for every election. She said Republican politicians say they are "just doing the right thing" when they are actually trying to stop Democrats from voting.

"Liar, liar pants on fire," she said, getting chuckles from the audience.

Fudge said she was among those who pushed for the 2016 Republican National Convention to be held in Cleveland and handed out "Cleveland Rocks" pins to her GOP colleagues after the announcement was made that the city would be the site. She said she asked them, "Will you let me speak?" and they told her, "No!"

Fudge said after her speech that she thinks an open dialogue on race is needed.

"Let's bring together a group of people and have a dialogue," she said. "It's not just in Ferguson [Missouri]. It's everywhere."

Source