Embattled Missouri “Squad” Rep. Cori Bush is getting roasted after she publicly fibbed about her legislative record by grossly exaggerating the number of bills she passed.
“I’ve brought home more than $2 billion and passed over 25 pieces of legislation,” the St. Louis congresswoman said in a statement on X and Facebook on May 4.
Not quite.
She introduced 25 bills, one of which passed, records filed with the House of Representatives show.
The bill signed into law concerned preventing the deportation of Rene Alexander Garcia Maldonado. Bush’s measure was actually incorporated into a larger bill approved regarding immigration.
The other 24 bills — including the “End Solitary Confinement Act” — did not make it out of committee.
She also proposed 11 resolutions — including one calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire “in Israel and occupied Palestine” and another calling for reparations for the enslavement of black people. None of the 11 made it out of committee.
Republicans have controlled the House since January 2023.
“Congresswoman Cori Bush has not been honest with her constituents,” said Mark Mellman, president of the Democratic Majority for Israel.
“First, the press caught her falsely claiming credit for money that’s been coming to the district for decades before she got to Washington, and now we find she has been dishonest about the number of bills she’s passed,” added Mellman, whose group is backing Bush’s rival in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, St. Louis prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell.
“The simple fact is that Congresswoman Bush is a terribly divisive figure who has failed to deliver for her district. Her constituents will have to decide whether that’s the kind of Representative they want.”
Bush, first elected in 2020, is part of the hard-left Squad members that include New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayana Pressley of Massachusetts.
Bush is locked in a tough primary fight against Bell, with recent polls showing a neck-and-neck race or Bell winning up by as much as double digits.
It’s the latest troubling sign for the liberal “Squad” after New York Rep. Bowman was soundly defeated by moderate Westchester County Executive George Latimer in a June 25 Democratic primary. That race for New York’s16th District, stretching from Co-Op City in the Bronx to the leafy suburbs of Westchester County.
As in the Bowman-Latimer race, the Israel-Hamas war has figured prominently and brought out the contrasts between the candidates for the Missouri seat. But it’s unclear whether it will resonate as it did in New York’s 16th House District, where there is a larger Jewish, pro-Israel constituency.
Like Bowman, Bush has been a staunch critic of Israel’s war tactics against Hamas in Gaza.
Pro=Israel Democrats are backing Bell, who has said he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and target the Hamas militia after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack against the Jewish state.
A super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has already spent more than $4 million in ads to help Bell topple Bush. The anti-Bush Democratic Majority for Israel is also spending heavily in the race.
An analysis by AdImpact Politics found that $8.1 million in ads have been spent opposing Bush, while just $1.5 million has been spent to help re-elect her.
Bowman had accused Latimer of benefitting from campaign donations tied to donors who have given contributions to Donald Trump and Republicans. The claim didn’t gain traction among Democratic voters in the district.
Likewise, Bush has accused Bell of accepting support from Republican donors.
Bush has the backing of Democratic Socialists of America, left-leaning Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party. She recently won endorsements from influential unions — including SEIU Healthcare, National Nurses United and Communication Workers of America.
Bell has snatched endorsements from the construction trade unions and many current and former Missouri elected officials as well as pro-Israel Democrats.
The Bush campaign declined comment.