Advancing Equity. Shaping Policy. Empowering Communities.
The Washington Bureau leads the National Urban League's advocacy in the nation's capital, bringing the voices of the Movement to Capitol Hill, federal agencies, and the national policy arena. We act with urgency, strategy, and coalition to advance legislation, mobilize grassroots power, and block dangerous rollbacks that threaten the economic security and civil rights of Black Americans and underserved communities.
How We Work
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Legislative Advocacy Testifying. Influencing. Legislating. We testify before Congress, shape critical legislation, and push lawmakers to pass policies that expand opportunity from fair budgets and tax equity to voting rights and workforce investment. |
Executive Branch Engagement Influencing agencies. Shaping regulations. From federal rulemaking to executive orders, we work directly with agencies to advance equity and push back on policies that undermine equal opportunity and civil rights protections. |
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Grassroots Mobilization Organizing. Campaigning. Showing up. We run national campaigns to defend diversity, equity, and inclusion, protect voting rights, and mobilize civic participation, connecting Washington strategy to on-the-ground action across 90 Urban League affiliates. |
Affiliate Support Equipping local leaders to act. We provide local Urban League leaders with research, toolkits, and strategies to advocate effectively in their own communities because the fight for equity is won at every level of government. |
Key Initiatives
Guided by our call to action, Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, and Defeat Poverty, the Washington Bureau is at the forefront of the policy fights that define this moment.
Demand Diversity
Demand Diversity Roundtable
Launched on January 22, 2025, the Demand Diversity Roundtable is a national coalition of more than 35 civil and human rights organizations representing over 100 million Americans. The Roundtable has convened emergency national responses, engaged congressional leadership, released groundbreaking polling, and published America 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy, a landmark accountability tool for voters ahead of the 2026 elections and beyond.
Defend Democracy
Reclaim Your Vote
Reclaim Your Vote is the National Urban League's nationwide civic engagement campaign working to ensure that Black voters and underserved communities are informed, registered, and ready to vote. During the 2024 election cycle, RYV made more than 1.3 million voter contacts across all 92 Urban League affiliates through door-knocking, text outreach, phone banking, and grassroots events. The campaign continues through 2026 with a focus on protecting and exercising the right to vote amid ongoing suppression efforts.
Defeat Poverty
Fair Budget Coalition
The Fair Budget Coalition is an alliance of civil rights leaders, economic justice advocates, and policy experts demanding a responsible federal budget that centers fairness and economic security for all Americans, including communities long overlooked and under-resourced. The Washington Bureau is leading NUL's fight against federal budget cuts that would strip Medicaid, nutrition assistance, and other essential programs from millions of Black families.
Defeat Poverty
Main Street Tax Initiative
The Main Street Tax Initiative is the National Urban League's ten-point plan to create a fairer tax system as key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire. The initiative calls for making permanent the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, restoring the SALT deduction, and boosting investment in first-time homebuyers and small businesses in undercapitalized communities.
Defend Democracy
Save the MBDA
The Minority Business Development Agency is the only federal agency dedicated exclusively to the growth of minority-owned businesses. The Washington Bureau is leading the fight to preserve it as the administration moves to eliminate it, mobilizing Urban League affiliates, coalition partners, and the public to contact Congress and make clear what's at stake for Black entrepreneurs and communities.
Policy Papers & Resources
 The Washington Bureau produces research, policy recommendations, and advocacy tools that keep the Urban League Movement informed and empowered to act. |
Reports & Plans | Advocacy Toolkits |