Astead Herndon

Our executive producer is Christina Vallis, and our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Additional support from Miranda Kennedy, David Tadashore, and Nisha Chittal.

I'm Astead Herndon, and this is America Actually.

Buzzwords like progressive and affordability are thrown around all the time in politics, maybe now more than ever.

But what do they actually mean?

And is there a difference between what it means to the elected officials and what it means to the people?

Today, I'm going to talk to the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to give his answer.

And then we're going to go to one of the most progressive districts in the country to see what people actually think.

Last week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, one of the largest blocs of Democrats on the Hill, released their new affordability agenda.

That's 10 planks meant to make Americans' lives cheaper in areas like utility bills, child care, or prescription drugs.

And I'll highlight some of the biggest policies included in the list because I think it's important.

Like requiring companies to pay double wages for overtime, not just time and a half.

Banning surveillance pricing, where companies use personal data to raise prices through AI.

And offering every first-time homeowner $20,000 in down payment assistance.

and expanding rental assistance.

But if you ask me, I think the most interesting thing about this proposal is the timing of it all.

Democrats aren't in control of Congress.

Donald Trump will still be the president for the next couple years.

And it doesn't feel as if these policies have any kind of short-term viability on the Hill.

Why is this happening now?