Biden reversals on evictions and refugees show power of progressives to get results

When Joe Biden won the presidency last November, the Democratic Party’s progressive lawmakers made clear they weren’t interested in serving as rubber stamps for a centrist Biden agenda. This week Missouri Rep. Cori Bush reminded establishment Democrats that while progressives may be few, together they can spur action from the president of the United States.

Bush launched her campaign to extend the national eviction moratorium on July 30, as her House colleagues prepared to split town for their August vacation. At the time, the White House claimed impotence in the face of a Supreme Court ruling striking down the original moratorium. And while Biden personally supported extended the renter protections, his last-minute effort to push Congress to act fell flat.

But after Bush spent a few highly publicized nights sleeping on the steps of the Capitol, the administration abruptly reversed course and extended the program through October. The legal challenges have already begun, but the extension may still help millions before it's resolved in the courts.

Key moment for the left

Bush’s big win for renters captured national media attention and gave many in the 96-member Congressional Progressive Caucus a chance to underscore that they can deliver meaningful reform in addition to soaring rhetoric. Bush's fellow Squad mates have not been shy in celebrating Bush's victory as a key moment for the left.

"Give @CoriBush her flowers she just paved the way for 11 million renters in the United States. Servant leadership in action,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday evening. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley hailed Bush’s victory as “a testament to the strength of our unwavering collective advocacy.’

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Biden’s reversal on the eviction moratorium marks the second time in recent months that progressives have successfully moved the White House – and the party as a whole – to the left. Back in May, Biden announced he would keep refugee admittances at the  indefensibly low level of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump. Biden’s bizarre decision to preserve one of the most bigoted elements of Trumpism infuriated the left, and led to a nasty public rift between the White House and progressive lawmakers like Reps. Ilhan Omar and Pramila Jayapal. The outcry caught Biden flat-footed, and the president quickly reversed course. 

House progressives have also made sure their priorities are front and center in Biden's two big spending initiatives this summer. Under pressure from Ocasio-Cortez and others, the White House has repositioned its infrastructure bill as a major tool to fund climate resilience, electric vehicle charging stations and other climate items, and  Democrats and Biden have committed to passing a budget package that includes beefy spending on climate and care workers.

These aren’t symbolic victories. By sleeping on the steps of her office to draw awareness to the expiring eviction moratorium, Bush ensured that over 10 million struggling renters avoid that fate, at least for now. By raising our national refugee cap to 62,500, progressives ensured thousands of families from conflict zones receive a second chance to fulfill their human potential. By making our elected officials acknowledge that climate change is infrastructure, House progressives forced a long overdue rethinking about America’s underinvestment in its energy future. 

Bush’s eviction win has energized the activist left for the even larger task of extending a freeze on federal student loan payments after the current freeze expires. Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats are also pressing Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower. That may seem radical, but it's popular: A recent Grinnell College National Poll conducted by Selzer & Co. shows over 66% of Americans support some type of loan forgiveness.

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Skeptics will argue that ambitious plans don't matter if progressives can’t grow their ranks in the 435-member House. That means winning elections like the closely-watched Democratic primary in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, where celebrity leftist Nina Turner’s campaign degraded into a wildly expensive proxy war between entrenched Clintonite Democrats and their perpetual foes, the Bernie Sanders brigade. 

Steering policy in a divided Congress

On Tuesday, Turner lost her challenge despite outraising her opponent, and centrist pundits crowed that Turner’s defeat is proof that progressives can’t win in the heartland. But Turner’s loss isn’t the progressive deathwatch Clintonland would have you believe. Even the left would agree Turner is a uniquely polarizing figure in Democratic circles. Her worst self-inflicted wounds had less to do with progressivism and more to do with her clear resentment of the party and most of her potential colleagues.

For now, progressives are effectively steering the policy debate with the numbers they have. That’s partly because the left controls a valuable block of votes in a closely divided Congress: In the Senate, Sanders’ single vote holds as much agenda-setting power as moderate Sen. Joe Manchin’s. Meanwhile, House progressives have learned from Republicans’ ruthlessly effective tactics that small, unified voting groups are often the most powerful. 

Our View: Biden issues targeted eviction moratoriums, but money to pay the rent is just sitting there

Biden is also a president open to being pushed left – as then candidate Biden indicated last year by naming Ocasio-Cortez to his key environmental policy team. Biden’s White House has proven surprisingly responsive to public outcry, and in the social media age few political figures generate large-scale public outcry quite like Ocasio-Cortez, Bush and their Millennial colleagues. The left’s willingness to start a worthy fight, even with the president, is a measure of political courage sorely lacking in many Democrats. 

Progressive Democrats are fortunate to be advocates for many issues with broad public support, from tackling climate change to improving health care to protecting voting rights. With the Biden administration eager to deliver meaningful policy victories, the White House is eager to partner with any coalition capable of selling its message to the American people. As Cori Bush just reminded Biden and her centrist colleagues, that kind of alliance means turning big progressive promises into powerful policy.

Max Burns (@themaxburns) is a Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies.