House Democrats are preparing a push for a slate of left-wing bills, including measures to decriminalize prostitution and eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as a newly empowered majority and a growing group of socialist lawmakers seek to revive legislation that has stalled in Congress.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), an original member of the “Squad,” has introduced bills to abolish the federal death penalty and decriminalize prostitution, which she has described as a “byproduct of discrimination, poverty and/or addiction.”
Pressley will be joined by eight incoming lawmakers affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. The group is preparing to assert its influence, though its members bring varying levels of experience in elected office.
Pressley’s “People’s Justice Guarantee” aims to address mass incarceration and expand access to “restorative justice,” an approach critics have condemned as overly lenient and too focused on defendants.
The incoming lawmakers are expected to draw on the DSA’s platform, which requires its endorsed candidates to support the organization’s broader agenda. An electoral commission document reviewed by The Post outlines a “Socialists-In-Office” network intended to help elected officials work together “towards the goal of promoting Democratic Socialism.”
The progressive push extends well beyond lawmakers backed by the DSA, including Pressley.
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) is seeking to expand “diversity visas” after President Trump cut thousands of positions from a program that distributes 55,000 US work visas worldwide.
Outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) has proposed training business owners on how to resist ICE. The bill follows a campaign season in which numerous candidates called for eliminating or defunding the federal immigration enforcement agency. Velázquez will be succeeded by democratic socialist Claire Valdez, who has called for a “living wage” and highlighted her own experience working low-wage jobs at Taco Bell.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) has introduced the “Drain ICE Act,” which would rescind the $75 billion in funding provided to the agency under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) has introduced a resolution “recognizing the disparity in wages paid to Latinas and the impact of that disparity on women, families, the economy, and the United States.”
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) has filed legislation backed by more than 80 co-sponsors that would require employers to provide paid leave. The proposal would grant one hour of leave for every 25 hours worked, amounting to two weeks for a full-time employee.
The progressive bloc is preparing to capitalize on its expanding influence. The chair of the House Progressive Caucus said the group will have approximately 105 members next year—enough to play a major role in shaping the Democratic agenda.
“Our goal is not to win a battle against other Democratic caucuses. It is to pass longstanding progressive priorities that bring down costs, root out corruption, and boost wages,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) wrote to caucus members Friday. Casar won reelection with 84% of the vote in a redrawn district.
None of the Democratic proposals advanced in the Republican-controlled Congress, which remains in session through early January. Lawmakers can reintroduce the bills in the new session, when a House Democratic majority of more than 250 members could move them forward.
Even so, the scale of the Republican defeat could give likely incoming Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) greater room to set the party’s direction.
Jeffries could steer Democrats toward more broadly supported proposals and cost-of-living measures—issues voters cited as key factors in their decisions—instead of allowing an expanded “Squad” to dictate the agenda.
Leading progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told NPR that Jeffries, with whom she has spoken, “intends to usher in the biggest, boldest progressive populist agenda.”