The Progressive Agenda: End Iran War, Rein in AI, Get Dems to Actually Do Something

Now that Democrats have secured earth-shattering wins in both chambers of Congress, the party’s progressives are sending a message to their more moderate leaders: It’s time to deliver for voters who are demanding meaningful action. “Even where the candidate wasn’t a self-described progressive, progressives won big last night,” said Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas, during a press call on Wednesday. “Across the country, so-called moderate candidates ran on ending forever wars,” he added, pointing out that Democrats went after the GOP for voting down congressional attempts to stop President Donald Trump’s unpopular military actions — efforts that the progressive caucus had organized. With comfortable majorities in both chambers — 54 seats in the Senate and 237 in the House, as of 4:30 p.m. The current Democratic leaders in each house of Congress, Sen. Asked by The Intercept about their Day-One priorities when they return to Congress, Casar said progressives planned to keep up the legislative pressure throughout the two years of the coming congressional term. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . In fact, candidates who signed onto a promise to push a suite of pro-labor policies organized by labor leaders in swing states were among the Democrats’ biggest winners on Tuesday night. I’ll be a union member when I walk into that Senate chamber.” “The way things are set up in our economy right now, the money is just moving up and concentrating at the top, and squeezing the people at the bottom,” said Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney. Ramirez, who has introduced a bill to abolish the Department of Homeland Security , argued that her party should not lose sight of outrage over violent immigration enforcement. “Shame on us Democrats if we again do not meet the moment when it comes to immigration and when it comes to justice as it pertains to ICE (immigration enforcement agency) and CBP (border protection agency) and DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security),” Ramirez told The Intercept. We were the first to push to rein in ICE and CBP, a shift that really drove a lot of Latino voters across the country that mattered in this election,” said Jayapal. “Hopefully, this puts to rest the idea that you can’t be a progressive and win with your ideas in any district in the country.” If history is any guide, it won’t. The Department of Government Efficiency has stripped Congress of it