Progressive leader urges Harris to wait on government health care push

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Progressive group leader says Medicare for All can wait: 'Time and place'

Adam Green isn't rushing sweeping progressive policies like Medicare for All, noting the hurdle that such policies face in the Senate unless more supportive Democrats are elected.

The leader of a progressive group said Medicare for All – previously understood as a top priority for those on the left wing of the Democratic Party and advocated for by then-Sen. Kamala Harris in her brief 2020 presidential run – can wait. 

"There's a time and place for every policy," Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) co-founder Adam Green told Fox News Digital. 

The PCCC supports a slate of left-wing Democrat candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who have established reputations as progressive champions.

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Progressives aren't pushing for Harris to prioritize Medicare for All. (Getty Images)

According to the organization's website, it fights "on democracy issues and for economic populist priorities like expanding Social Security, Medicare For All, a Green New Deal, student debt cancelation, and Wall Street reform."

But Green said these policies don't need to be the top priority for Vice President Harris and Democrats.

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Democrat presidential candidate Vice President Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are shown at a campaign rally in Milwaukee on Aug. 20, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

A Harris campaign official confirmed to Fox News Digital that she will not be advocating for Medicare for All or single-payer health care despite doing so in 2020 when she ran for president. This comes as she continues to reverse previously held policy positions, such as her support for a ban on fracking.

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A Harris campaign official says she won't be advocating for Medicare for All or single-payer health care despite doing so in 2020 when she ran for president. (iStock | Reuters)

"We stand two votes away from things that will revolutionize people's lives in a good way in terms of helping them raise their kids, helping them care for an elderly parent. Why wouldn't we focus on those things first – getting this final vote before going back to square one with other stuff, including Medicare for All, which I support?" Green said.

He said that among progressives, who have long supported these sweeping policy reforms, "There's not really a clamor" for her to pursue them just yet.

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Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin (Getty Images)

The PCCC co-founder referenced moderate Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., both former Democrats, and their stances against doing away with the current filibuster to allow Democrats to pass controversial legislation on elections and abortion that were key priorities.

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"Let's start with that first is the attitude of most Democratic voters and Americans," Green said, explaining that voters want Democrats to have enough progressive lawmakers in the Senate to avoid a similar scenario.

"We don't need to really have politicians talking about other policies right now," he added. "There's a time and place for that."

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