The American Jewish Congress today called on President Kennedy “to fulfill promptly his pledges to deal effectively with racial and religious discrimination by use of his Presidential powers. “
In a resolution, the organization’s National Governing Council urged the President to issue Executive Orders barring discrimination in Federally assisted housing and in employment on Government contracts. It said these orders were “already overdue. ” The resolution was adopted at a meeting of the American Jewish Congress national policy making body attended by 100 persons.
The resolution called for: 1. An Executive Order establishing a single agency to investigate and eliminate discrimination under Government contracts, in Government employment and in Federally subsidized vocational training programs; 2. An Executive Order barring discrimination in all housing receiving Federal aid and applicable “not only to the Federal Government but also to all agencies, governmental or private, that have power to affect distribution of benefits under any of the Federal housing programs. “
In urging a new and stronger Executive Order to fight job discrimination on Government contracts and in Federal employment and vocational training programs, the resolution emphasized the necessity of “power to take court action restraining violations of the non-discrimination clause in Government contracts. “
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