Bernie Sanders Loses on Trade but Wins Hillary Clinton’s Support on Health Care

Although he is no longer fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders is still making his voice heard in Democratic Party politics. On Saturday, the Vermont senator experienced success and failure in his attempts to influence the party platform.

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is hoping to win over Sanders’ supporters by adopting some of his progressive policies. On Wednesday, Clinton announced a proposal on higher education aimed at eliminating some forms of college tuition. Now she has unveiled a proposal focused on health care. The Washington Post reports:

[Clinton] said in a statement that she would “affirm” her support for allowing states to offer government-run health plans as part of the Affordable Care Act. And she said she would support allowing people 55 and older to buy into Medicare, a program available to people 65 and older. …

Clinton’s statement also included support for expanding funding by $40 billion over the next decade for primary-care services at community-based centers that serve largely rural areas, a long-standing priority for Sanders, a senator from Vermont.

Sanders expressed his approval of Clinton’s policy proposition, stating, “Together these steps will get us closer to the day when everyone in this country has access to quality, affordable health care.”

While Sanders has succeeded in influencing Democratic policy on health care and public education, his progressive trade initiative hit a roadblock.on Saturday. His attempt to insert language into the party platform opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was shot down in favor of less specific wording. NBC News explains:

[T]he committee approved an amendment backed by organized labor that called for tough restrictions on trade deals, but did not explicitly oppose the trade pact with a dozen Pacific Rim nations that liberals say would hurt workers.

Sanders will now have to decide whether he wants to use a parliamentary mechanism to push the issue to a fight on the floor of the Democratic National Convention later this month in Philadelphia.

Sanders and Clinton oppose the TPP, although it is supported by the Obama administration. Other Democratic leaders are divided on the issue.

On Tuesday, Sanders is expected to officially endorse Clinton for president at one of her campaign events in New Hampshire. It’s unclear, however, if Clinton’s adoption of his progressive policies will be enough to sway liberal voters—the announcement that she would not be indicted for her email missteps as secretary of state has left many Sanders supporters with a bad taste in their mouths.

—Posted by Emma Niles