Progressives Press Biden to Bypass Congress as Democrats Sour On Far Left

As the Democratic party moves further away from progressive politics and closer to moderate policies, the party's more liberal members are going directly to the president in hopes of passing more of their agenda before this year's midterms.

On Thursday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) urged President Joe Biden to enact changes in line with their policies by recommending that he issue a series of executive orders that would lower health care costs, cancel student loan debt and advance immigrant rights among other ideas.

The 55 recommendations chosen by the caucus also aim to raise wages, expand police reform, address the climate crisis and implement tax changes—all before November, when the Democrats could potentially lose the majority and their chances at delivering the promises they've made their constituents.

The push also comes as the Democratic party has moved away from more progressive policies, like the defund the police movement, which Biden said is "not the answer" to the uptick in crime reported across the country during his State of the Union address.

Biden's comments reflect a recent shift among the nation's more liberal Democrats, particularly the mayors of major U.S. cities, like Portland and Chicago, who have increased police spending in response to the rising crime rates.

As hopes of passing sweeping legislation diminish for progressives, those like Representative Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the CPC, are asking Biden to help. The president, however, has avoided using his executive authority to replace legislative action and expressed that he would rather not issue orders to achieve the Democrats' agenda.

"Some of my Republican friends, and some of my Democratic friends even occasionally, say, 'Well, if you can't get the votes by executive order, you're going to do something.' Things you can't do by executive order unless you're a dictator. We're a democracy. We need consensus," Biden said as a presidential candidate in October 2020.

With time running out, Jayapal wants voters to know their elected officials will do everything in their power to deliver on their promises.

"I do think we want to make sure that we're delivering as much as we can before November, in addition to all the excellent things we've already done, and making sure people know what we've done," the Democrat told the Washington Post.

Jayapal seems to have the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who stressed that while legislative action is irreplaceable, "it's very important for the executive to act if we cannot get legislative action immediately."

The Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses are expected to release their own recommendations for Biden in the coming weeks.

Majority Whip James Clyburn, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus' executive board, noted that executive action has long been used throughout history to "kickstart" policies the American public is likely to agree with.

"Before Congress could ever act on the institution of slavery, Abraham Lincoln used executive order, and that's what the Emancipation Proclamation was. The country followed some two years later or three years after he signed the order, and I think you will find that down through history," Clyburn said last week.