Squad member Jamaal Bowman demands $14 TRILLION in reparations to black Americans

Bowman is one of nine sponsors of HR 414, which aims to hold the US government accountable for slavery and the aftermath that followed.

Despite its hefty price tag, Rep. Bowman insists that it's a fair and feasible amount, citing how the US government monetarily supported Americans during the COVID pandemic.

"When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat," said Bowman, according to Fox News. "The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone."

"Where did the money come from?" asked Bowman. "We spent it into existence."

The proposed legislation would require the allocation of $14 trillion by the federal government towards a reparations program intended to assist former enslaved African Americans and individuals of African descent.

According to census data, 12 percent of the US population is black.

The measure, which has nine sponsors in the House but has failed to secure a sponsor in the Senate, reads that the US 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."

Concerns regarding perceived racial disparities in housing, mass incarceration, and educational outcomes could be addressed by the measure, which, as stated in the proposed legislation, would "eliminate the racial wealth gap between black and white Americans."

The US economy currently sits at roughly $25 trillion. In 2020, the federal government spent $7 trillion during the pandemic, which is around 28 percent of the United States' total wealth, according to Journal News.

Rep. Bowman doesn't see an issue with the measure's $14 trillion price tag, and explained that the reparations can be paid out over time.

"Who says the $14 trillion needs to be paid out in one shot," said Bowman.

"It might be possible for it to be paid out over five 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 continued.

"There were 246 years of free labor that produced trillions or hundreds of trillions of dollars for the US economy," said Bowman. "The economy wouldn’t exist in the way it does today if slavery hadn't built it."