In a collaboration with St. Louis Public Radio’s "We Live Here," St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum, Jia Lian Yang and Lauren Brown spoke with U.S. Rep. Cori Bush about two pieces of environmental legislation that she proposed in her first few months in office.
The Democrat represents Missouri’s 1st District, which takes in St. Louis and parts of St. Louis County. She was first elected last year, toppling longtime incumbent Lacy Clay, and is the first Black woman to ever represent a Missouri congressional district.
Here’s what Bush talked about on the show:
- Her legislation that would prompt federal agencies to map out environmental issues. It’s a proposal that she’s working on with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, that’s similar to what President Joe Biden laid out in a recent executive order.
- Whether overhauling or getting rid of the filibuster would help get some of her environmental legislation across the finish line. She also talked about whether some of her Green New Deal for Cities could make it into Biden’s infrastructure legislation.
- Bush, who was a supporter of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, detailed how her office has collaborated with the White House over the past few months. She said that she’s received a warm welcome in Congress, notably getting high-profile assignments on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.
Bush is a north St. Louis County native who worked as a nurse before running for office. Her father, Erroll Bush, has been involved in Northwoods municipal politics for many years and currently serves on that town’s Board of Aldermen.
Bush burst into the public eye as an activist who protested in Ferguson. She first ran for office in 2016, losing in a Democratic U.S. Senate primary to then-Secretary of State Jason Kander. After losing to Clay in 2018, Bush defeated him in the 2020 primary and easily won the general election.
"We Live Here" will release an episode featuring both Bush and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, later this week. A Politically Speaking featuring Duckworth will be posted in the coming days.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow We Live Here on Twitter: @WeLiveHereSTL
Follow Cori Bush on Twitter: @RepCori
