‘The Squad’ Is Expanding As Reps. Cori Bush And Jamaal Bowman Are Sworn Into Congress
“The Squad,” the group of four progressive representatives formed in 2018, is now expanding with the inclusion of two new, junior Black government officials.
Cori Bush, a nurse, pastor and community organizer, made history in November when she became the first Black woman in Missouri to be elected to Congress. On Sunday (January 3) she, along with all freshman members of the 117th Congress, were sworn in. Subsequently, the 44-year-old also touted a new distinction: newest member of the House’s most progressive wing.
Bush tweeted a photo of herself and newly minted Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-14), along with Squad originals Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, along with the caption “squad up.”
While the group was and remains small in size, its influence in American politics has been immense since its formation two years ago. The Squad has been at the forefront of policy initiatives including the Green New Deal, police reform, reparations, and even the endorsing of political candidates.
On Sunday morning, Bush took to Twitter to share her feelings as she prepared to take her seat in Congress.
“I’ve survived sexual assault, police abuse, domestic violence and being unhoused and uninsured. That's not a unique pain I carry,” she said in a tweet. “It's one that so many of us live with each day. Today, I take my seat in Congress to fight for a world where nobody has to endure that pain.”
Bowman, a New York educator, becomes the next representative of his state’s 16th Congressional District, four months after beating incumbent Eliot Engel in the Democratic primary. Engel currently leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has served in Congress for more than three decades.
Bowman also shared the new Squad photo and the caption with his own invitation to the party saying, “Our squad is big!”
