House Democrats introduced a bill Feb. 17 to create a study group to evaluate whether the U.S. government should pay reparations to descendants of slaves, also known as Afro-descendant reparations cases. The White House said President Joe Biden would support the study.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a Washington press conference that President Biden “certainly would support a study of reparations” and understands that “we don’t need a study to take immediate action on systemic racism. “.
Pusaki noted that Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office authorizing the advancement of “racial equity. “Racial equity” is a quasi-Marxist critical theory of race that focuses on equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity. Biden then declared that racial equality is a goal of the federal government.
Psaki added that Democrats do not necessarily support paying reparations. “We’ll see what happens through the legislative process,” she said.
The press conference, which took place as Democratic House members held a hearing on the H.R. 40 bill. The bill would “establish a commission to study and develop recommendations for reparations for African-Americans” and attempt to address “the lingering negative effects of slavery.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Calif.), the bill’s author, said at the hearing that her bill has nearly 170 co-sponsors. The legislation needs 218 votes to pass the House. So far, no Republicans have supported the bill, and with a total of 50 Republican senators, the bill should not pass the Senate either.
Lee said she feels Americans need reparations “to restore balance and unity to their gifts” and to close the “gap between rich and poor.
She also said that federal data show that the African American population is infected with COVID-19 at a higher rate than whites and is more likely to be hospitalized and die from the disease.
Witnesses supporting the bill included Tendayi Achiume, a professor at the UCLA School of Law who describes herself as an expert on racism. Achiume said the commission proposed by the bill “has the ability to make recommendations on specific laws that create racial inequality.”
“Reparations for slavery are part of the fulfillment of international legal efforts to eliminate racial discrimination. The United States is not exempt from these responsibilities. And the H.R. 40 bill would represent important progress in meeting its international legal obligations.” She said.
The proposed bill is also opposed by many lawmakers, including Republican African-American Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Ariz.).
Former NFL player and Republican Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Fla.).
“It’s unrealistic and impossible for the U.S. government to pay compensation. It’s also unfair and heartless to give black Americans hope for this.” Owens said his great-grandfather came to America on a slave ship.
“The reality is that the history of black Americans is not one of a helpless, hopeless race, oppressed by a more powerful white race. For millions of middle-class and affluent black Americans throughout the early 20th century, it was a history of achieving the American dream.” Owens said.
He said, “We’re talking this morning about reparations theory, which is nothing new. It’s been tried for the last 100 years, resulting in the suffering and death of 100 million men, women and children. It’s called wealth redistribution, which is socialism.”
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