WASHINGTON (TND) — A member of the ultra-progressive congressional group “The Squad” is reinforcing demands for $14 trillion in reparation funds to be paid to descendants of slaves.
Rep. Cori, D-Mo., introducedH.Res.414 in May, a measure seeking to recognize the “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.” In addition to the funds, the measure pushes for the passage of the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act” and a formal condemnation of slavery.
With 42 million African Americans residing in the U.S., $14 trillion would equate to $333K per person. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a sponsor of the measure, believes such a figure could be appropriated through “creative” means.
“Who says the $14 trillion needs to be paid out in one shot?” Rep. Bowman told The Journal News last week. “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,” he continued. “There are creative ways to do the right thing and do what needs to be done.”
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If passed in the House, the bill will not advance to the Senate until a senator sponsors it. House sponsors of the legislation include other “Squad” members, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
While talk of reparations remains stalled on the national scale, such measures have found favor on the local level. In September, New York City considered a proposal to establish a task force to “consider the impact of slavery,” as well as decide on appropriate reparations for those affected.
In 2023, San Francisco also considered a measure issuing $5 million to qualifying Black residents. Estimates placed the cost of such a measure at $100 billion.