Rashida Tlaib

An OG member of the Squad, Rashida doesn’t back down from her progressive policies and has become a controversial figure in doing so. When the conflict between Israel and Palestine heightened last year, she – as the only Palestinian-American in Congress – was able to voice her concerns to President Biden.

It may be hard to believe but the Guantanamo Bay Prison has been operating now for 20 years and Rashida is once again renewing her calls to the President to close the facility once and for all. She calls it a “disgusting moral failing that goes against everything we as Americans stand for.” Fellow under-45er Ilhan Omar is also joining this cause as are many others. Worth a watch, though brutal as it is, the recent film The Mauritanian, based on a memoir by a former detainee, paints a rather horrific picture of the facility. See that, and you might just join Rashida in her cause.

Rashida has had her focus on Palestine and Israel this year. Rashida is the first and only Palestinian-American in Congress, making this issue a more personal one for her. This year, Rashida has caused a stir after pointing out on Twitter that illegal Israeli settlements currently receive tax-exempt status in America, a contravention of international law. In an open letter, she called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to examine the legitimacy of the status of U.S.-based entities supporting settlements that perpetuate the forced removal of Palestinians from their land. However, Rashida’s stance on the Palestine/Israel conflict led to attempts by members of the GOP to censure her.

We have heard several stories of immigrant families being torn apart and Rashida is pointing to the Supreme Court Case Reno v. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee which gave immigrant families due process. However, the issue is causing confusion in the lower courts and government agencies who are not adhering to the policies. No communication between government agencies? Never heard that before! Rashida introduced the Family Unity Act to protect immigrant families by ensuring due process in certain immigration removal proceedings. This is exactly why we need checks and balances.

“Nearly half of Americans don’t have enough cash to cover a $400 emergency expense,” Rashida said in announcing the reintroduction of the BOOST Act which would give families up to $6,000 through a refundable tax credit that can be paid monthly. The act, she says, would lift more than 3 million children and 9 million families out of poverty and builds on the work of the American Rescue Plan and Build Back Better Act. The bill has 13 Democratic co-sponsors and though it’s not clear yet how it would be paid for, we’re sure Republicans will have something to say about that.