Loury

Loury would have been the second-highest Black member of the Reagan Administration and the number two man in the Education Department after Secretary William J. Bennett.

The Crimson had reported in early May that Loury's nomination had been delayed because of what officials termed a routine FBI security check. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had vowed to testify against Loury at Senate confirmation hearings and many other advocacy groups were contemplating following the NAACP's lead.

Reagan had chose Loury for his outspoken conservative views, which included attacks on national civil rights leaders and affirmative action policies. Loury has argued in numerous speeches and articles that Blacks are "stigmatized' by affirmative action policies and need to develop "self-help" strategies to improve their social and economic standing.