Bills proposing reparations are nothing new from far-left members of Congress, though now that President Donald Trump is back in office, they've been brought back with a vengeance. Now that the bill's sponsor from a previous session of Congress, former Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) has passed away, members of the Squad have taken up the mantle, and the idea sounds just as crazy as you'd expect.
The plan has been put forward by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who touted that she was doing so as part of Black History Month. But, she also made it about "an unprecedented onslaught against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the Trump Administration." The bill, HR 40, has also been introduced by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate.
Such a bill would "establish a federal commission to examine the lasting legacy of slavery and develop reparations proposals for African American descendants of enslaved people." In addition to mentioning Black History Month, the press release from Pressley's office also claims that it "is a powerful counterweight to the harmful actions taken by Donald Trump and a call to action for America to address the systemic oppression of Black people throughout its history."
We've heard such language plenty of times before from far-left Democrats. It's also worth wondering, though, if DEI practices aren't doing more harm than good for black Americans, by reducing them to their race and/or sex rather than merit.
Still, Pressley continued to go after Trump in a statement included in the press release. "What we’re seeing from the Trump Administration and their allies in Congress and the courts is a coordinated, years-long effort to dismantle any policy that uplifts Black folks and addresses America’s shameful history of systemic racism. It is anti-Blackness on steroids and we’re not backing down in our pursuit of healing and reparatory justice," she said. "H.R. 40 is a powerful reminder of the work that remains and offers us a pathway toward truth, reconciliation, and accountability for the deep, structural injustices that continue to ravage Black communities to this day. I am grateful to Senator Booker for his ongoing partnership and I am deeply honored to follow in the footsteps of my mentor and friend, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, in introducing this deeply necessary and overdue legislation."
Our #HR40Reparations bill is an essential step toward repairing the harm of slavery and its aftermath.
— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) February 12, 2025
As America witnesses an onslaught of anti-Black, anti-DEI policy, we’re not backing down in our pursuit of healing & reparatory justice.#BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/j6r6Efeits
While the bill was introduced by Pressley and Booker, a co-sponsor in the House has been grabbing headlines for her remarks. That would be Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), another member of the Squad, and one who managed to win her primary last year while other now former members, such as former Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO), weren't so lucky. A statement from Lee also included in the press release comes off as propaganda from the 1619 Project and as exuding a sense of entitlement.
"The America we know today was built on the brutal enslavement and trafficking of stolen Africans forced to build this country on their literal backs. Despite what Trump and his anti-diversity, anti-equity, and anti-inclusion cronies want you to believe, this is American history," she claimed. "Our government – no matter who is in power – has an obligation to right these wrongs. If we are to truly address the racial and economic injustices rooted in this country, Congress must pass HR 40."
Lee also spoke at the press conference held on Wednesday, with her remarks circulating around social media, as Brett T at our sister site of Twitchy covered.
"Our government – no matter who is in power – has an obligation to right these wrongs, to provide reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans, to eliminate the racial wealth gap, to uplift the black community," she insisted, while Pressley nodded behind her. Lee then turned her remarks to going after Trump and congressional Republicans. "White supremacy is rampant in this country," she stressed. "Just look at the current administration and our own legislative body. They have contributed to the social and economic harms, to the racial terror black folks have experienced in this country. Now, more than ever, we must acknowledge and repair those harms!"
Democrat Rep. Summer Lee labels President Trump a “white supremacist” while demanding “repatriations.”
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 12, 2025
“White supremacy is rampant in this county, just look at the current Administration…they have contributed to racial terror.”
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