Cori Bush sends message to Biden with State of the Union outfit
Missouri Democrat has faced criticism for efforts to defund police departments
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., an outspoken member of the progressive House "Squad" who favors efforts to defund police, is hoping to earn the attention of President Biden through her choice of attire for his State of the Union address.
"My State of the Union fit," Bush wrote in a tweet, which included a photo of the congresswoman donning a red t-shirt with the number 18,000 written across it.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That's how many people whose clemency petitions are sitting in a backlog, waiting for @POTUS's review," Bush said of the number. "Justice delayed is justice denied. President Biden, we’re urging you: start granting clemency now."
Last year, during an appearance on CBS News, Bush said "defunding the police has to happen" and that people should "suck it up." After facing criticism, Bush appeared on CNN where she defended her remarks and claimed that others in Congress were not "fighting to save Black lives" before she arrived.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing titled Birthing While Black: Examining Americas Black Maternal Health Crisis, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, May 6, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"Because that was not fixed before I got here, to then come at me and say, ‘You’re the reason we have these problems.’ No, the reason why we have these problems is because those that were in power and could have fixed this problem before now didn’t and it cost lives," she said at the time.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last month, Bush was forced to defend her remarks again after some questioned whether the messaging would her party ahead of the midterm elections.
"I always tell [fellow Democrats], 'If you all had fixed this before I got here, I wouldn’t have to say these things,'" Bush told Axios at the time.
Bush, who dropped more than $130,000 into private security services over a six-month span last year, said that the party needs to do a better job of explaining to voters what it means by "defund the police," arguing that some funding could be better spent on preemptive social services.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cori Bush attends "Knock Down The House" Red Carpet Premiere - 2019 SFFILM at Castro Theatre on April 13, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Kimberly White/Getty Images for Netflix)
The Missouri Democrat also dismissed concerns about Democrats losing this year's election, saying a defeat should be blamed on the party's inability to pass sweeping reforms such as Biden's Build Back Better legislation.
The White House has repeatedly tried to distance itself from Bush’s "defund the police" message, with press secretary Jen Psaki declaring last year that the "majority of Democrats" disagree with her.
Contrary to Bush's own beliefs, Biden is expected to talk about a nationwide surge in violent crime, and will again speak against defunding the police during his address to Congress and America Tuesday night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Michael Lee and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this article.