Progressive Democrats draw strength from muscle-flexing in Congress | Democrats
When House Democrats were forced to delay their planned vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill earlier this month, the reaction from progressives was a bit surprising considering it is a key part of Joe Biden’s domestic agenda.
Rather than lamenting the delay of the vote, progressive groups praised the Democratic lawmakers who had demanded the scheduling change.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus – a group of leftwing Democrats in Congress – had argued that the infrastructure bill could not pass on its own because if it did, Democrats would lose vital momentum for passing the much larger reconciliation package, which includes huge investments in climate initiatives, affordable childcare access and healthcare and other social programs.
“We applaud House Democrats who are boldly holding the line for better care for our families, our planet, and our futures, not the bottom line for big corporations,” the progressive group MoveOn said.
After years of complaints that leftwing Democrats in Congress have consistently failed to wield their power effectively, the CPC is now receiving plaudits from supporters for their strategy in the infrastructure negotiations.
The progressives’ success has emboldened their allies and raised questions over how they may use that power in the next stage of negotiations as Biden seeks to pass an agenda that many have compared to the 1930s New Deal or the 1960s Great Society.
For progressives outside the Capitol, the CPC’s success was a validation of their years-long efforts to push for more robust climate and healthcare policies.
“I think often movements run into crises of powerlessness when we spend so much energy [on] an election or having a certain candidate come through in order to just fall on all of those promises,” said John Paul Mejia, a spokesperson for the climate group Sunrise Movement.
“Thankfully with progressives, what we have seen is that by building accountability and power with folks inside and outside of the halls of power, we’ve actually been able to do some pretty wild things that are in line with what our movement seeks to do in ensuring the vision of the Green New Deal.”
Some progressives have said the fight felt overdue, as the CPC has long weathered criticism that its members raise objections to bills only to back down at the last minute.
“Progressives were seen as caving in the ninth inning of a game, and there was a years-long need for credibility if the progressive bloc wanted to be seen as an actual bloc in future fights,” said Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “And this was that moment because the stars aligned.”
Green added that the victory could encourage progressives to pursue hardline tactics again, saying, “Now that that’s done once, [CPC chair] Pramila Jayapal and the progressive caucus will have more credibility and therefore be able to impact negotiations more in all future fights.”
Progressives’ strategy could have a significant impact on the final version of the reconciliation package, which lawmakers continue to negotiate over.
The legislation was previously expected to cost about $3.5tn, a figure…
Read More: Progressive Democrats draw strength from muscle-flexing in Congress | Democrats