Texas Democratic Rep. Greg Cassar, the new chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has served on the Austin City Council for years, led the charge to defund local police departments, and at one point on social media. He was proud of that.
“You did it!!” Casal wrote to X After the Austin City Council passed a bill he authored, the result was to cut the local police budget by more than $100 million and eliminate three new cadet classes. The bill passed unanimously in 2020 after a spate of police shootings of people of color.
Cazale was elevated to the House Progressives' highest ranking leadership position on Thursday following a unanimous vote of his caucus colleagues. The move comes as Democrats continue their post-election forensic analysis, with many in the party urging them to take a more centrist approach in the future.
Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, said Cassar's career in public service has not shown moderation, especially at the local level.
“'Far-left extremist' is a very good way to describe what he did.” [Austin]” Faris said.
Even Democratic voters rejected left-wing policies and politicians in the most surprising places.
Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event welcoming new Latino members of Congress at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2022. November 18, 2022.
In 2017, Cassar led a charge to reject a mutually agreed upon contract between the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association, leading to a wave of retirements and hiring issues due to uncertainty over job security and benefits for police officers. Ta. Meanwhile, in 2020, Cassar led the drafting of a bill that would defund the police by more than $100 million, including eliminating funding from three planned police cadet classes. was. Instead, reallocated funds went toward programs related to abortion access, affordable housing, and food security.
Shortly after, the City of Austin began forwarding certain 911 calls to mental health professionals. Additionally, last year, due to a shortage of officers, Austin police asked residents to call 311 instead of 911 if they were robbed near an ATM.
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While on the Austin City Council, Cassar also advocated eliminating the use of discretionary arrests for certain non-violent crimes and requiring police to inform people that they are legally allowed to deny immigration applications2. It also drafted two “Freedom City” resolutions. document. Other policies Cassar supported as a City Council member included a ban on non-lethal police munitions and certain chokeholds.
Rep. Greg Cassar, D-Texas, speaks after a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, calling for the Biden administration's January 26, 2023 expansion of Title 42 and repeal of the ban on refugee passage.
As a member of Congress, Cazale continues to put pressure on Austin police officers.
Last year, he asked the Justice Department to oversee “the Department's policies and practices regarding excessive and deadly force, racial discrimination, and discrimination against people with mental health conditions.”
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“In 2020, there was this idea that Democrats were actually going to flip the Texas House, and Cassar was used in several campaign ads by Republicans across the state. “Democrats didn't win,” Faris said. “I talked to some Democratic friends, and they would say, [Casar] In 2020, it became an obstacle for Democrats at the state level. ”
Congressman Greg Cassar (R-Texas) speaks at a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2023, in Washington, DC.
After last month's election, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, R-Vermont, was among a number of Democrats who argued that the party had lost its centrist, working-class base.
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“We have more to lose politically than to gain by pandering to the far left, which represents Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok more than the real world.” Congressman Ritchie Torres, New York; he said after the election. “The working class is not buying the ivory tower nonsense being sold by the far left.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a rally at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The stop was one of several along TX-35, the congressional district represented by U.S. Rep. Greg Cassar, who won re-election last month.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the same day as Cazale's caucus election victory, NBC News published an article about the two-year congressman in which he echoed much of the analysis of other Democrats that a shift within the party was needed. repeated.
“We're at a point now where we have to always prioritize winning over being right,” he told the magazine. “This is less a battle between left and right than a return to a Democratic Party for ordinary people that is no longer seen as preachy or disconnected.”
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Nevertheless, in a press conference after his victory, Cassar said, “I wish the Democratic Party was a little more like the chairman.'' [Washington Rep. Pramila] Doesn't look a bit like Jayapal [West Virginia Sen.] Joe Manchin, I think we won this election.'' Jayapal is the outgoing chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which has similarly led efforts to defund the police.
Fox News Digital reached out to Cazale's office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
