Rashida Tlaib Challenges Biden on Progressive Agenda in SOTU Response

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has challenged President Joe Biden in a progressive response to his State of the Union address.

While much of Tlaib's Tuesday night speech on behalf of the Working Families Party took aim at Republicans, the "Squad" member also challenged Biden to take action on progressive campaign promises while highlighting divisions between progressives and centrists in the Democratic Party.

Tlaib touted progressives and praised parts of Biden's agenda before singling out "corporate-backed Democratic obstructionists," whom she blamed for stalling the president's Build Back Better plan.

"No one fought harder for President Biden's agenda than progressives," Tlaib said. "We rallied with our supporters, held town halls in our communities, engaged new people and we even played hardball in Congress."

"But two forces stood in the way: a Republican Party that serves only the rich and powerful, and just enough corporate-backed Democratic obstructionists to help them succeed," she continued.

Tlaib noted that Build Back Better was "unfinished" and she said that progressives were ready to "jumpstart" the plan and called for a "Working Families majority" that would "work with President Biden to deliver for you and your family."

Although she blasted "obstructionists" for blocking legislation, the Michigan congresswoman insisted that Biden could "use his executive power to take action right now to deliver for the people" on issues like canceling student loan debt, reducing carbon emissions and breaking up pharmaceutical monopolies.

Tlaib also hinted at defunding the police, arguing that the country could not "police away homelessness, poverty or the mental health crisis." During Biden's State of the Union speech, the president said that "the answer is not to defund the police" but to "fund the police" instead.

Many progressives have been at odds with Biden and moderates in the Democratic Party over last year's failure to pass the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act. The bill passed the House in November but stalled in the Senate by the end of the year due to opposition from centrist Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

Some on the left blamed the failure on leverage lost due to separating the legislation from the more popular $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, a Biden-approved move that members of the progressive caucus had correctly predicted would be followed by the larger bill being blocked.

The president's lack of action on moving to forgive student loan debts by executive order has also been a frequent grievance of progressives, many of whom have pushed for Biden to forgive at least $50,000 of student loan debt. Biden campaigned on forgiving $10,000 of debt.

Although the administration has moved to eliminate some student loan debt, Biden has insisted that more expansive loan forgiveness must overcome the high hurdle of passing in Congress rather than by his pen alone, citing likely legal challenges to an executive order.

A centrist backlash to the progressive response began before Biden's address took place. Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, told Axios that Tlaib's plan to respond was "like keying your own car and slashing your own tires." Representative Filemon Vela of Texas said that it was "astonishing that the radical left continues to promote a Democratic death wish."

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.