Congressman Bowman and Congressman Donalds Debate on Gun Violence, Wealth Inequality, and More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (NY-16) debated Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (FL-19) live on CNN, a month after their impromptu back and forth on the steps of the Capitol.

Congressman Bowman criticized the ongoing gun violence epidemic in our country, and called out Republicans’ lack of action and ability to care to prioritize America’s children over assault weapons. During the half-hour debate, he schooled Donalds on wealth inequality in America, and committed to continuing to hold President Biden accountable to the American people.

On the epidemic of gun violence in our country:

“The evidence speaks for itself. Guns are the number one killer of children in our country because of the culture of fear mongering that has been facilitated and nurtured mostly by the Republican party…There’s a gun epidemic absolutely in our country. There has been for many years, and we need to move heaven and earth to stop this.”

“Republicans are sacrificing our children for the Second Amendment. Our children. Our most precious resource, children that will grow up to be creators, innovators, designers, solve climate change, save our democracy from itself. We have Republican members of the House wearing assault rifle pins on the House floor after mass shootings have occurred. So this tells you what their priorities are: assault weapons, the Second Amendment–part of it, not the well regulated part–over the lives of innocent Americans. That’s unacceptable.”

On wealth inequality in the American economic system:

“We can’t talk about guns and gun violence without talking about poverty. We need to spend as much as necessary to invest in historically disenfranchised communities, to end poverty in our country, which deals with the trauma, which deals with the mental health, which deals with the substance abuse. I need to see Republican leadership on this and Democratic leadership on this.”

“When I talk about dealing with the issue of poverty, I’m talking about reparations. Repairing the historic harm, investing in schools equitably. Right now, if you live in a wealthy community, you get more money for your school than if you live in the park community, and the poor communities are only poor because they were red lined by the United States government via the G.I. Bill.”