Progressives are pushing through their agenda, and only their agenda. In a meeting with Ron Klain, the communistas Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.),ย Mark Pocan (D-Wis.),ย Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), andย Cori Bush (D-Mo.), put the pressure on and it’s unlikely Biden will go against them. In fact, Ron Klain agrees with them.
BUILD BACK BETTER JOBS PLAN
Progressives pressed for a commitment that Biden’s jobs plan will address not only transportation but climate change, health care, and so-called family infrastructure, things like child care and paid leave.
Jayapal laid out concerns that those things wonโt be possible unless Democrats eliminate the filibuster. โWe can either go green, or we can go bipartisan, because I just donโt think that Republicans are ready to have a transformative package โ and so I said that at the White House,โ Jayapal said.
Klain indicatedย to the Congressional Progressive Caucus that leaders that the White House are exploring different options, including the possibility of breaking up the jobs package into as many as three bills, according to Jayapal. Some could garner bipartisan support, and some could be done through reconciliation.
In other words, they will circumvent the filibuster and pass single-payer, extreme climate change, and extreme transportation.
Some Republicans would vote for new bridges and roads, but that’s it.
TAXING THE RICH
Progressives insist on redistributing wealth. Klain, according to Jayapal, seemed to agree. โWe did have a very good discussion about how the White House sees any revenue [raisers] โ and I think we share their perspective โ that revenue raisers are really about making the tax code fair,โ Jayapal said. โAnd of course, addressing the massive and unprecedented income inequality in this country. โฆ Thatโs very much our frame as well.โ
RETURN OF THE MINIMUM WAGE DEBATE
Progressives pressed Klain to commit to making the $15 minimum wage happen and believe he agrees it needs to be a priority. Progressives brought up nuking the filibuster to get it done. Another idea floated in the room: attaching a wage increase to must-pass legislation.
IMMIGRATION โ the Democrat power grab
Klain also indicated that Biden would soon increase the cap on the number of refugees that would be admitted to the U.S. Klain also agreed that more needs to be done to address the crisis (our word, not his) at the border.
They want more and faster.
The White House, Jayapal said, is hinderedย by the Trump administrationโs move to dismantle immigration facilities and infrastructure at the border. But theyโre working to get that fixed. โThey want to speed that up. They want to more quickly work on a solution, and we all understood the importance of that.โ
The Progressives [Democrat Socialists are to the Left of communists] went from being viewed as radicals to the thought leaders and vote-getters of the Democrat Party. They are the Democrat Party.
They meet frequently with the White House.
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