The modern Democratic Party has long been accused of spending recklessly and embracing the divisive tenets of identity politics — but a proposal being advanced by U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) manages to combine both of those characteristics into one highly controversial bill.
Bowman, who is a member of the so-called “Squad” in Congress that includes a handful of far-left lawmakers, is currently pushing for a staggering $14 trillion in government spending for reparations to benefit Americans based entirely on the color of their skin.
The bill, known as H.R. 414, was initially introduced last year by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and claims that the nation “has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”
As for the unparalleled expense of such an undertaking, Bowman compared it to the government largesse unleashed during the pandemic.
“When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,” the New York Democrat claimed. “The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.”
Reflecting his broader understanding of fiscal matters, Bowman added: “Where did the money come from? We spent it into existence.”
JUST IN: Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a "Squad" member from New York, is advocating for a $14 trillion reparations measure for slavery's descendants.
Creating trillions out of thin air? So, money just magically appears now it seems.
He argues that the government can fund this without… pic.twitter.com/WFhjjnPHkY
— Hank (@GCapital_LLC) January 18, 2024
Thus far, nine Democratic lawmakers have expressed support for the bill, which seeks to provide a direct monetary advantage to Black Americans in the realms of “banking, consumer, housing, health, education, and employment discrimination.”
The proposal also denounces what its supporters call “White domestic terrorism” and determines that it will take $14 trillion or more “to eliminate the racial wealth gap that currently exists between Black and White Americans.”
If approved, the bill could provide about $333,000 in cash payments to every Black American.
Despite amounting to more than twice as much as the entire federal government spent throughout all of the 2022 fiscal year, advocates for the bill nevertheless insist that it is actually a bargain.
According to the language approved by Bush and the other sponsors, the true value of all slave labor “between 1619 and the end of slavery in 1865” would amount to $97 trillion.
There are about 42 million African Americans in the United States, representing 12% of our nation’s population, according to the 2020 census. That means the proposed reparations program could deliver roughly $333,000 per person. Bowman said it could be paid over decades.
“Who says the $14 trillion needs to be paid out in one shot?” the congressman said. “It might be possible for it to be paid out over 5 or 10 or 20 years. You could take that $333,000 and break it up into monthly checks over X amount of time.”
“There are creative ways to do the right thing and do what needs to be done,” he added.
