By Leigh Ann Caldwell and Haley Talbot - NBC News
Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, who spent three nights and three days on the steps of the US Capitol, scored a win that may be short-lived, but one that some progressive politicians hope to turn into future victories.
Things often seem impossible to achieve within a deeply divided Congress, but Bush savored a momentary victory this week when the White House reinstated the moratorium on evictions.
Now a group of progressive lawmakers is using this victory to push for other issues, including canceling student debt, on which the Joe Biden Administration announced another payment extension on Friday.
Democrats have praised Bush, representing Missouri.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Massachusetts, addresses the crowd attending a sit-in on Capitol Hill after it was announced that the Biden administration would enact a nationwide moratorium on evictions, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. AP / Amanda Andrade-Rhodes
“I used to ask myself,
'Is it worth it that I'm here instead of someone else?'
And now (Bush) has answered that question.
It has value that you are the one who is here, and not someone else, ”
said Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts.
Rich Luchette, a Democratic consultant and former congressional aide, said Bush's tactic was effective and compared it to the occasion when Rep. John Lewis protested on the floor of the House of Representatives over gun control after the shooting at the club. nightly Press in Orlando.
"She found an innovative way to draw attention to an issue that hadn't been addressed before," Luchette said, noting that such a protest had never been held in any chamber of Congress before Lewis did so in 2016.
"I think it is clear that protests can be an effective tactic," he added.
[I have not been able to pay the rent, what can I do now? We answer questions about the end of the moratorium on evictions]
But this tactic may not work forever.
The moratorium on evictions could last only a few days and another similar protest might not be successful again.
Yet even those Bush spoke out against offered congratulations.
“Thank you for your mobilization and for making the subject better known.
That's part of our system, so I thank you, ”said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
An attempt to legislate
Bush was homeless before beginning his political career and knew firsthand what millions of Americans were up against.
But she has only been in Washington for eight months and, like most new lawmakers, has little political capital.
He soon joined the original members of the so-called 'Squad', six high-profile progressive lawmakers, but his influence within the corridors of power was limited when he made his protest.
Like most people new to the job, he lacked an understanding of the intricate personal, political, and strategic complexities behind passing laws.
These are the requirements to apply for the extension of the eviction moratorium
Aug. 4, 202102: 11
During his brief time in Congress, Bush has worked with fellow Democrats on multiple issues.
She supports efforts to withdraw funds from the police, a position her party leaders have rejected.
He also ran into trouble with fellow Democrats, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who say Bush failed to warn them about an amendment to George Floyd's Police Reform Bill that would have given prisoners the right to vote.
Bush's legislative knowledge was put to the test on July 30
, when the lower house adjourned for its scheduled seven-week recess without extending the eviction moratorium.
[I have not been able to pay the rent, what can I do now? We answer questions about the end of the moratorium on evictions]
Pelosi;
the Speaker of the House, Jim Clyburn;
and the president of Financial Services, Maxine Waters, had been working all day to gather the votes and approve an extension until October 18.
There was little chance the effort would work given the dynamics in the Senate.
As the day progressed, it became clear that there would not be enough Democratic support.
Bush was furious at the lack of a vote.
He tried to ask the legislators of the House of Representatives to meet and vote, but it was too late, as the House had already suspended the session.
That's when he turned to his activist roots.
Bush and Alexansdria Ocasio-Cortez went live on Instagram for the 8.7 million followers of the Democratic congresswoman from New York.
They both urged a five-day marathon to sleep on the steps of the Capitol, do television interviews, plan with colleagues and try to influence decision makers.
CDC explains why evictions affect health measures
Aug. 4, 202100: 47
A shift to lobbying
By the third day, Bush was exhausted and physically sore from sleeping in a chair in front of the Capitol.
But she was determined to hang on.
He learned that Vice President Kamala Harris had a meeting in the Senate and Bush went to see her uninvited.
At that moment, Nancy Pelosi called her.
It was the first time they had spoken since the House adjourned Friday night without approving an extension.
Pelosi told Bush that she was doing a great job, but that she would not reconvene the House
to vote on the moratorium.
Then Harris left his office.
Bush approached her, looked her in the eye and asked, "How can you help me?"
The vice president did not commit, but thanked him for all the work he was doing to bring attention to the evictions.
After the encounter, Bush was distraught, people close to her said.
She left the Senate feeling dejected and walked back to the steps of the Capitol.
Farmworkers and dreamers meet in Congress to demand immigration reform
July 28, 202101: 03
His staff asked Pelosi's staff for a message of unity, and Bush was prepared to focus on putting pressure on the White House and the CDC.
But then the tide began to turn.
[A federal judge annuls the moratorium on home evictions during the pandemic]
Bush learned that Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, was coming out to meet her on the steps of the Capitol.
Then, Pelosi's office accepted the message of unity, and the result was back-to-back messages urging the CDC to extend the moratorium.
"It was a perfect storm," said a senior Democratic aide.
They spent another night and a day on the steps, before the White House announced its new specific guidelines for areas with high community transmission of COVID-19. The news came on the first anniversary of Bush's victory in the primaries, when he defeated Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay, who was amassing ten terms.