A group of progressives, including the “Squad,” unveiled their new agenda on Thursday that they hope will push Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden farther to the left.
The Working Families Party—which is made up of Black Lives Matter leaders, congressional leftists, organized labor groups and environment avtivists—introduced its “People’s Charter,” Politico reported.
Their plan calls for:
- free universal healthcare
- free universal childcare
- millions of green jobs
- a cancellation of all student debt
- a $15 minimum wage
- the defunding of police departments across the country
One of the plan’s backers, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said the agenda will be a legislative guideline for what leftists in the House will push during a Biden–Harris administration.
“The aim is a clear agenda that progressives in the House will advance focuses on these big items,” Khanna said in a statement.
“We will push for Medicare-for-all during the pandemic. We will push for the creation of millions of good jobs in communities left behind. And we will advance a bold vision to tackle climate change and have a liveable planet, which is the aspiration of the Green New Deal,” Khanna continued. “I expect at least 80 to 100 House Democrats will support the basic principles and agenda.”
This echoes what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., said last month when she predicted that it was “likely” the Left would push Biden farther to the fringes if he were elected.
“I think, overall, we can likely push Vice President Biden in a more progressive direction across policy issues,” she said. “I think foreign policy is an enormous area where we can improve—immigration is another one.”
The progressives admitted that Biden was not their top choice, but said the first step is to win the White House, then “make the vision outlined in the People’s Charter a reality.”
“We’ve always said that electing Joe Biden was a doorway, not a destination,” Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell said in a statement.
Biden, a 47-year veteran of the inner-DC swamp, has tested the waters by partially supporting many of the plans, although he has often flip–flopped on his positions.
During the recent presidential and vice-presidential debate, both he and running mate Kamala Harris tried to duck questions on how their proposed environmental plan drew its inspiration from the radical—and immeasurably expensive—Green New Deal.
“I support the Biden plan that I put forward,” he said while facing heavy pressure from President Donald Trump. “… The Biden plan, which is different than what he calls the radical Green New Deal.”
