“History will prove you were wrong.”
Those were the words of U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) last year after her colleagues in the House voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the lone Palestinian American in Congress, over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war. Both Bush and Tlaib, are members of “the Squad,” a cadre of about eight progressive Democrats who often clash with their party’s establishment colleagues.
“If they come down these hallways and hit these doors, we bangin’ ‘til the end.”–Cong. Bush on the day insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol
Both drew condemnation over their call for a ceasefire of Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas. Reportedly, Jewish political groups are raising millions to oust Bush from office in the Nov. elections. In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio last year, Bush’s Democratic primary challenger, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, admitted that his decision to run against her was, in part, motivated by her criticism of Israel.
It’s too early to tell if history will vindicate Bush, Tlaib or other politicians who spoke out against the bombing in Gaza. But, after thousands of Palestinians (mostly women and children) have been killed and injured during the military offensive, more and more political and public voices seem to be aligned with the sentiments of the Congresswomen.
The St. Louis American sat down with Bush at her new downtown campaign office last week. Our goal was to not only gauge her feelings about the Middle East conflict, the ongoing chaos in the 118th Congress, President Biden and the upcoming election but we wanted our questions and Bush’s answers to paint a clearer picture of the politician. Here, we attempt to gauge how her background as a registered nurse, community activist, single mother and ordained pastor influences her politics and dictates how she represents the people of Missouri’s First Congressional District.
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St. Louis American: You were one of the first people in Congress to sharply criticize Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. You received vicious blowback for your comments yet, arguably, your warnings have come to fruition with at least 33,000 Palestinians killed and 75,000 injured during the military offensive. In retrospect, do you wish you had waited and not come out against the offensive so early?
Rep. Cori Bush: No, absolutely not. It was the right thing to do. It might have hurt but it was the right thing to do. The thing is; if our government would have listened, if Netanyahu (Israeli prime minister) would have listened, there would be 33,000 Palestinians still alive right now. There would not be over I million Palestinians displaced; there would not be famine and starvation happening right now; there would be humanitarian aid and UN workers who would still be alive.
Yes, we were viciously attacked because people called it ‘antisemitic’ to care about humanity. I never said anything against Jewish people…what I said was ‘let’s save both!’ So, I did the right thing, at the right time and if I had to do it all over again, I absolutely would.
St. Louis American: How did you feel when some Democrats joined Republicans to formally censure Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, another Squad member and the lone Palestinian American in Congress?
Bush: It was just so hurtful (tears up). Let me just say, Rashida Tlaib is the kind of person who takes care of everybody no matter who you are or what you look like, she’s that kind of person. For me to see my own colleagues stand up and criticize her and vote ‘yes’ to censure her…that was hurtful.
This was the thing: You sit with her on the floor, you talk to her, you laugh and have conversations with her…do you actually believe she really wants to see Jewish people killed? You cannot! It was crushing because it let me know that this is what they really think about anyone who stands up for Palestinians and, for me, that’s a deal-breaker.
St. Louis American: I’m not going to dwell on this, but some say your criticism of Israel is the main reason you’re facing a Black Democratic primary challenger in the upcoming election. Did this organized, well-funded effort to unseat you catch you by surprise?
Bush: Um, not necessarily but the magnitude of it definitely caught me by surprise. For organizations like AIPAC (pro-Israel political action committee) and DMFI (Democratic Majority for Israel) to spend $100 million dollars to oust me and a few of my colleagues in Congress…that part caught me by surprise.
What’s disgusting to me is-I’m the first Black Congresswoman of this district in more than 172 years-this state, this district has never had a Black woman or a woman in this seat who has brought nearly two billion dollars; who shows up at events; who is trying to take care of people; who’s put herself on the line when 11 million people were at risk for evictions and I didn’t want more people from St. Louis kicked out on the streets and we won an extension to the eviction moratorium…you mean to tell me none of that is good enough because I said ‘we don’t need US taxpayer dollars to kill mostly women and children in Gaza?’ So, yeah, that’s the part that upsets me.
St. Louis American: You’ve been in office since 2021, how have you changed since then?
Bush: I’d say that now I can’t expect my colleagues to be the same way today or tomorrow. I’ve learned that if I want something done, I have to work past my own comfort level, work with my team, my colleagues and advocates to go ahead and get it done.
My third day in Congress was the insurrection. I would have never thought that would have happened. So, I have learned ‘be ready for anything’ and just try to figure out what St. Louis needs, and I need everyone else to move around that.
St. Louis American: Speaking of Jan. 6, you were a part of the protests after Mike Brown was killed. You must recall how the Trump administration’s efforts to label Black Lives Matter as an insurrectionist group and put laws on the books that would jail them as terrorists? How does it make you feel to know that some people behind those efforts have now labeled the mostly white, violent insurrectionists as ‘hostages?’”
Bush: I know, I know. I think it’s disgusting-especially right now…to refer to them as ‘hostages’ especially since Oct. 7th…it’s egregious because there are people right now who are real hostages and we’re calling insurrectionists ‘hostages.’ No one forced them to show up at the capitol; no one forced them to scale the walls, to bring zip-ties and a noose to hang someone; no one forced them to physically harm police officers. This was an attempt to overthrow our government because those folk did not believe Joe Biden won a democratic election-which was absolutely false.
St. Louis American: What were you doing during the melee?
Bush: We were barricaded in my office. Let me tell you, my concern wasn’t for myself, it was for my staff-they didn’t sign up to be put in harm’s way, they didn’t sign up for that kind of danger. I knew my danger because I come from Ferguson and all of that. I knew the target was on my back. I remember (saying) at that moment, ‘yeah we’re going to barricade these doors but if they come down these hallways and hit these doors, we bangin’ til the end’…I was gonna pick up whatever I could, and fight.
St. Louis American: Since we’re on the topic. I watch the shenanigans of extremist republicans like Lauren Boebert, Majorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz from home but you’re right there hearing them, watching them, debating them…what is that like, is it fun or painful?
Bush: I think for some people it may be fun because it’s their personality. There are folk who think ‘oh, if I say this, I’ll go viral and get all these donations.’ But, for me, it’s not about that. I come from all the attacks with Ferguson…I’m still dealing with that trauma and the racism that was out there. The Oath Keepers-the same people who were out there on Jan. 6 -were out there in Ferguson on top of rooftops and stuff. So, while they’re playing games, for me, it’s tough because I know that what they’re doing is harmful to people. That’s why I fight back. I can’t just let it ride.
St. Louis American: You’re in town to talk about the legislation to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. What is the significance of that locally and why is it important to you?
Bush: It’s important locally because people across the St. Louis region were exposed or are being exposed to radioactive waste that goes all the way back to the Manhattan project, World War II. The government has not done its part to make sure the necessary clean-up was done in a timely manner, but they also have not let people know the potential for exposure. It’s important to make sure that compensation is for people dealing with this radioactive exposure across the country. But Missouri was not on that list. So, we want to get St. Louis zip codes on that list to receive that money.
St. Louis American: You’ve been credited for bringing millions of dollars to St. Louis from Washington…
Bush: Nearly two billion…
St. Louis American: I stand corrected…you’ve secured federal funding like the $3 million for a new community Healing Center in the city. What are you most proud of in securing dollars for St. Louis and North St. Louis in particular?
Bush: All of it has been meaningful. But something as simple as, when the St. Louis Housing authority reached out and said, ‘our seniors won’t have access to broadband.’ People may think that’s not essential… ‘it’s not like its food or shelter’…but right now, in this day-and-age, people not having access to the Internet is a huge deal, especially for seniors dealing with applications for things that are lifesaving. That was important to me.
Also, the money we’ve been able to get through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)…we got about $500 million dollars for St. Louis city alone and $150 million of that is allocated to the North side, with $37 million that’s already been funneled…so, I’m super proud of that and I want people to know it’s a huge win for the northside. And I also want to thank Mayor Jones for spearheading that for the city.
St. Louis American: You’re part of the Squad. Do you think you all had to compromise to accomplish legislative gains in the House?
Bush: No…not compromise. I think what we’ve been able to do is speak up for the needs of our communities…rather it’s been an amendment or speaking up to stop legislation that we thought would cause harm to our communities. No, I don’t think we’ve had to compromise. But I do believe we’ve also had to work with people from across the aisle…Democrats who are more moderate and Republicans who are very conservative…like I’ve worked with Sen. Josh Hawley. Whoever is going to help me deliver for St. Louis, that’s who I’m working with.
St. Louis American: It seems to me that the GOP is imploding with chaos in the House, their cultural war nonsense, and their attacks on reproductive rights. Do you think their self-destructive behavior will cause them to lose the House and Senate in November?
Bush: Yes…well…I do think they’ll lose the House…they are imploding. They have one group-the House Freedom Caucus-that are very conservative and want to see Speaker (Mike) Johnson enact the things they’ve brought to the table, to the floor. But the thing is they’re following the former white supremacist-in-chief, Donald Trump…a lot of their decisions are based on orders coming down from him…
St. Louis American: You mean like with the failed bipartisan immigration bill?
Bush: Right. They were like ‘Biden is weak on immigration,’ then here comes the immigration bill and it’s like ‘oh no, we’re not going to support it’ because Donald Trump said so, because it would make Joe Biden look like he accomplished something, and that would hurt Trump’s campaign.
St. Louis American: Does that frustrate you?
Bush: Yes, because, first, we’re the US House of Representatives, we are the governing body for the country. We should be grownups, we should be governing and passing legislation but instead it’s all this infighting. Some Republicans come from swing districts and they’re trying to tow-the-line with their constituents. But the House Freedom Caucus are like ‘No, we want a national ban on abortion; we want more voter suppression’…these are the folks against DEI…it’s just across the board.
St. Louis American: Yes, banning books is a conversation; deleting or watering down Black history is a conversation…all this is madness to me as a citizen and journalist, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for you as a legislator.
Bush: It’s like being in a constant place of having to communicate, then over-communicate about the same things over-and-over again. When we talk about Black history these things actually happened. No, we didn’t voluntarily come to this country; No, the slave trade did not benefit us, it benefitted the United States economy; Those 222 million hours of enforced slave labor did not benefit the enslaved, it benefited the enslavers in this country.
I do love, though, that I am in a position-when these horrific things, this messaging, when these attacks and all the change they want to see happen-that I am in place to be able to fight it because I’m not afraid to speak on it. That’s why I have the “Reparations Now” bill to see that reparations happen across this country.
St. Louis American: Last question: There’s all this talk about Joe Biden being too old for a second term. What are your thoughts about another four years under Biden?
Bush: I’ll say there are some things Joe Biden has done that’s surprised me in a good way like the student debt cancellation. There were a few other things President Biden pushed by executive action. I would say he’s done some good things but when the majority of Democrats in this country are saying we want a ceasefire; When people are saying, ‘we don’t want our taxpayer dollars used to bomb people,’ when people are saying things they’ve never said before, our president has a decision to make…now!
I want to be surprised in that way.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
