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This was important, because it was clear that a set of conservative Democrats were invested in the infrastructure package and not nearly as invested in the rest of the Democratic agenda. When nine conservative House Democrats, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, demanded a vote on the infrastructure bill by the end of September, their plan was obvious: Delink the two bills, pass the infrastructure measure before the final details of the reconciliation bill were negotiated, and then shrink it dramatically or tank it entirely.

In the lead-up to the infrastructure vote, conservative Democrats signaled repeatedly that they did not intend to negotiate with any sense of urgency on Build Back Better. Sen. Joe Manchin went so far as to publish an op-ed calling for a strategic pause on the process until next year which is to say, until an election year, when chances of passage would have fallen dramatically. Conservative Democrats felt no pressure to pass the reconciliation measure because their priorities were already moving with the infrastructure bill.

If it werent for House progressives, this plan would have worked. The progressives, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, had approved a reform package last year designed to turn the Congressional Progressive Caucus into a disciplined negotiating bloc. They identified their collective priorities for the Build Back Better agenda early and negotiated their inclusion into the budget resolution.

When the Gottheimer Nine tried to force a vote on the infrastructure bill last month, progressives did what was necessary they withheld their votes until a final Build Back Better package had been agreed upon. Thanks to the political conditions they created and boosted by grassroots support outside the Capitol and across the country, progressives got the reconciliation package out of the House.

The fight to Build Back Better is not over; the legislation is now before the Senate and Biden has committed to get it across the finish line. But lets be clear about what happened. Progressive members of Congress organized to build their collective power. They developed their collective, cross-issue priorities. They compromised over and over to get to a final deal. In short, they worked as a voting bloc to save the Biden agenda.

Read more:
Thank you, progressives, for saving the Biden agenda - Roll Call