Exclusive: Leading progressive wants Democrats to think big post-midterms
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, says his party colleagues need to dare President Donald Trump to veto Democratic bills if they take the majority. A leading progressive lawmaker says his party colleagues need to think big and dare President Donald Trump to veto Democratic bills if they take the majority. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, is pushing for votes on bills to tackle “price gouging, that crack down on utility rates going up, that crack down on politicians profiting off their jobs” — and though he acknowledged some might become law, “if Donald Trump vetoes them, then that’s exactly the platform upon which we beat JD Vance or whoever else in 2028.” House Democratic leaders have sketched out some early priorities for their potential majority, like restoring lapsed health insurance subsidies or reversing cuts to Medicaid; the path beyond that is fuzzier. But the scope of House Democrats’ ambitions will depend on how many seats they pick up, and on Senate control, too. Casar bristled at recent comments by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who said that Democrats should table bigger policy questions until the 2028 campaign, since Trump is still in the White House and likely to veto their legislati
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, says his party colleagues need to dare President Donald Trump to veto Democratic bills if they take the majority. A leading progressive lawmaker says his party colleagues need to think big and dare President Donald Trump to veto Democratic bills if they take the majority. Rep.
Greg Casar, D-Texas, is pushing for votes on bills to tackle “price gouging, that crack down on utility rates going up, that crack down on politicians profiting off their jobs” — and though he acknowledged some might become law, “if Donald Trump vetoes them, then that’s exactly the platform upon which we beat JD Vance or whoever else in 2028.” House Democratic leaders have sketched out some early priorities for their potential majority, like restoring lapsed health insurance subsidies or reversing cuts to Medicaid; the path beyond that is fuzzier. But the scope of House Democrats’ ambitions will depend on how many seats they pick up, and on Senate control, too.
Casar bristled at recent comments by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who said that Democrats should table bigger policy questions until the 2028 campaign, since Trump is still in the White House and likely to veto their legislation. He argued that pushing the envelope was necessary for Democrats to prove to voters they care. “I don’t want to waste our majority by negotiating down to Trump’s level,” Casar said.
And if Democrats take the Senate as well on Tuesday, party-line legislation to circumvent the filibuster should be on the table, Casar said. “We should do a reconciliation bill, or multiple reconciliation bills, and dare Trump on those issues. We should also push for policies that are 80% popular across the country and dare Senate Republicans to vote against them,” Casar added. Some incoming progressive lawmakers have threatened to withhold votes for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a speaker election unless he commits to progressive policy goals.
Casar sidestepped a question on that prospect. “I’ve worked very regularly with Leader Jeffries, and I am a supporter,” he said. “Everybody’s vote, of course, is their own, and I would let each member speak for themselves on that question.”