‘Squad’ Member Introduces Bill Demanding ‘Reparations Now’

Democrat Squad member Cori Bush (Mo.) introduced a resolution calling to fix the “Black-White wealth gap” by issuing reparations immediately.

“When the Black-White wealth gap is $14 trillion, it’s unjust and it wouldn’t happen in a just and fair and equitable society,” Bush said Wednesday. The proposal, titled “Reparations Now,” is in support of another bill, H.R. 40, which would form a federal commission to study and develop a plan to distribute reparations for black Americans.

Bush said Wednesday that “black people in our country cannot wait any longer.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) endorsed Bush’s resolution and pointed to California as “the real leader” in the push for reparations, despite the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, rejecting a state board’s recommendations for reparation payouts. Newsom sunk the idea after the board proposed up to $1.2 million per eligible black resident.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) is backing the proposal, she says, because reparations are “necessary” to reach “true equality.”

“We hear the Biden administration and so many others talk about that word ‘equity,’” Tlaib said Wednesday. “They need to make sure that reparations is part of the movement towards equitable distribution of resources.”

The move comes days after Tlaib and Bush were the only two House members to vote against a resolution honoring police who died in the line of duty. The measure, which was meant to support “National Police Week,” passed 413-2 on Monday. The pair said the measure pushed a “false narrative.”