Bernie Sanders when asked about reparations says there are 'better ways' to help people than 'writing out a check'

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Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday was pressed on his position on reparations during an appearance on ABC's "The View."

• Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday appeared on ABC's "The View" and was asked whether he'd support reparations for the descendants of slaves. 
• "I think that right now our job is to address the crises facing the American people in our communities," Sanders replied. "And I think there are better ways to do that than just writing out a check."
• The topic of reparations is emerging as a central issue in the early months of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday said there are "better ways" to address the crises in American communities than "writing out a check" when he was asked if he supports reparations for the descendants of slaves. 

When Sanders was asked to expand on his views regarding this issue on ABC's "The View," the senator said, "The wealth gap … between the white community and the black community is like 10 to one. Health disparities are terrible, environmental disparities are terrible - Flint, Michigan, comes to mind."

Sanders added, "What we have got to do is pay attention to distressed communities - black communities, Latino communities, and white communities all over this country - and as president I pledge to do that."

Read more: Bernie Sanders says he won't be seeking Hillary Clinton's advice for 2020 and explains why he thinks she lost in 2016

The Vermont senator was then pressed by host Sunny Hostin to address reparations more specifically.

Hostin asked, "Why not support reparations then?" 

Sanders asked Hostin to clarify exactly what she means by "reparations," and she said "money" for the descendants of slaves. 

"I think that right now our job is to address the crises facing the American people in our communities," Sanders replied. "And I think there are better ways to do that than just writing out a check."

A number of Democratic candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have been questioned on their positions on reparations and it appears to be emerging as a central issue in campaign discussions.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro has explicitly endorsed reparations, but other candidates have offered more vague, convoluted stances. 

Read more: 'Shouldn't we compensate people if they were property?': 2020 Democrats are divided over whether to give reparations to black Americans

Sen. Cory Booker, for example, recently contended his "baby bonds" plan, which would annually grant every native-born child in the US a set amount of money, is a "form of reparations." 

But in a rapidly expanding and diverse field of candidates, Sanders has expressed more skepticism over the issue than others from a policy standpoint. 

"We're going to do everything we can to put resources into distressed communities and improve lives for those people who have been hurt from the legacy of slavery," Sanders said during a CNN town hall on Monday when asked about reparations by an audience member. 

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who was moderating the town hall, then pressed Sanders on whether he'd endorse reparations more specifically as other candidates have done, to which the senator replied, "What does that mean? What do they mean? I don't think it's clear."

During his 2016 campaign, Sanders referred to the concept of reparations as "divisive" and said the likelihood of legislation on the matter getting through Congress is "nil."