Missouri Rep. Cori Bush received $15K from university for lectures on reparations

Missouri U.S. Rep. Cori Bush received $15,000 from George Mason University for lecturing students on reparations, according to financial disclosure filings.

Fox News first reported on the payments and called Bush, who serves Missouri’s 1st Congressional District “perhaps the most outspoken federal lawmaker pushing for reparations.”  

A website maintained by George Mason University, which has its main campus in the Washington, D.C. area, says the title of the course was “The Public Pedagogy of Truth and Reparations.”  

The Missouri GOP has accused the Democrat Bush of trying to “enrich herself “ on the radical ideology of reparations  

“Cori Bush is a hypocrite. She only promotes radical ideas to advance her brand, and enrich herself,” Charlie Dalton, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, wrote in a statement. “She wants us all dependent as much as possible on the government. She puts hundreds of thousands of dollars towards her own safety, yet demands the defunding of our local and national defense. She is the epitome of radical.” 

But like other far-left liberals, Bush has figured out how to turn her notoriety into a lucrative business, judging by the thin course content for which the university paid her $15,000.  

“In this course, students will hear directly from Congresswoman Bush and activist, writer, and activist-scholar Dr. David Ragland about their national work building infrastructure and support for reparations and locally-led truth telling processes and commissions in the US,” said the course description.   

In a 23-page bill introduced in the spring, Bush proposed $14 trillion worth of payments to black Americans who could tie their genealogy to slavery.  

“The United States 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,” said Bush’s bill, according to ABC News. 

Bush estimates there are 40 million black Americans whose ancestors were slaves, says ABC.  

While the Republicans hold a 10-seat majority in the House, the legislation perhaps paints a picture of what might be in store if Democrats take back the House. The Cook Political Report forecast there are 189 safe Republican seats, with 172 safe Democrat seats, in the House of Representatives’ 2024 races.  

The rest of the races either lean to one party or are rated toss-ups.  

Still, local governmental units aren’t waiting for the federal government.  

California’s Reparations Task Force’s commission recommended the state pay individual black residents cash of up to $1.2 million, for a total estimated payout of $500 billion, reports the Associated Press.   

Several communities, such as Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, have paid out reparations, according to the New York Times. Kansas City and St. Louis, both with significant black populations, have similar committees investigating possible reparation payments.  

It’s unclear under Bush’s proposal how reparations would be paid. The $14 trillion price tag represents 58% of the country’s $24 trillion estimated 2024 Gross Domestic Product.

In comparison, the war in Iraq cost $2.3 trillion over the lifetime of the conflict, Fox noted.