--- title: A Progressive Window Closed Hard — And Perhaps Way Too Early description: At one of the worst points in this pandemic, when the United States was averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day, a solid majority of Americans said they wanted the government to do more. Today, things look different. canonical: https://time.com/6049412/progressive-agenda-big-government/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-05-18T18:18:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T01:18:07.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: A Progressive Window Closed Hard — And Perhaps Way Too Early og:description: At one of the worst points in this pandemic, when the United States was averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day, a solid majority of Americans said they wanted the government to do more. Today, things look different. og:url: https://time.com/6049412/progressive-agenda-big-government/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07589629cf93a05d/698a19b3929fada908bf75d9/pandemic-washington-government.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-COVID-19-VACCINATION-DAILY LIFE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Progressive Window Closed Hard — And Perhaps Way Too Early twitter:description: At one of the worst points in this pandemic, when the United States was averaging more than 60,000 new cases a day, a solid majority of Americans said they wanted the government to do more. Today, things look different. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07589629cf93a05d/698a19b3929fada908bf75d9/pandemic-washington-government.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Progressive Window Closed Hard — And Perhaps Way Too Early > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=08126744-b18b-4517-8b36-2f7568cc7e55&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. 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Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=08126744-b18b-4517-8b36-2f7568cc7e55&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=08126744-b18b-4517-8b36-2f7568cc7e55&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 12, 2023 1:18 AM UTCPublished: May 18, 2021 6:18 PM UTC  People are seen near the White House in Washington, on May 17, 2021. People are seen near the White House in Washington, on May 17, 2021. Ting Shen—Xinhua/Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Updated: Dec 12, 2023 1:18 AM UTCPublished: May 18, 2021 6:18 PM UTC _This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up_ [_here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletter%5Fopt-in?qs=3a19a0aa35903a2d9f214b74f69a37910b58de73cf3f2b89adc123fac024f0478c72f91010ae9d01f08f46c616068cab3e74726837cd2cce70dac3796e46c2b4) _to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday._ At one of the worst points in this pandemic, when the United States was [averaging](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/previouscases.html#anchor%5F1598477311) more than 60,000 new cases a day and unemployment stood at 8%, a solid majority of Americans [said](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/05/17/americans-see-broad-responsibilities-for-government-little-change-since-2019/pp%5F2021-05-17%5Fscope-of-government%5F00-03/) they wanted the government to do more: more direct involvement in the then-theoretical vaccine, more safety-net programs, more access to healthcare dollars. As some 6,000 people were dying in the U.S. each day — a death toll greater than the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 — a Pew survey from August [showed](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2020/08/06/most-americans-say-state-governments-have-lifted-covid-19-restrictions-too-quickly/?utm%5Fsource=AdaptiveMailer&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=20-08-06%20POL%20COVID%20GEN%20DISTRO&org=982&lvl=100&ite=6847&lea=1503439&ctr=0&par=1&trk=) 59% of Americans wanted the government to do more to make life better, including a surprising one-third of Republicans. In Washington, that shift among conservatives created an important opening for progressives. Finally, they seemed to have buy-in from hold-out conservatives on their argument that government is a force of good. A generation of conservative belief that the markets would fix things if just given time seemed rocked to its core, and scared Americans into considering that maybe progressives were onto something. With then-candidate Joe Biden making a long list of promises to appeal to his party’s left flank, anything seemed possible — even if the country was still in the throes of a hellish public-health disaster. The moment, to my mind, stood to change Americans’ relationship with their government. Well, fast-forward to the present. America is opening again. Just yesterday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser [announced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/coronavirus-dc-maryland-virginia/2021/05/17/11c446d0-b719-11eb-a6b1-81296da0339b%5Fstory.html) that she was dropping the masking requirement for vaccinated persons to roam the city, worship and do business. Locally, 54% of all [Washingtonians](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/) have had at least one dose of the vaccine and that number stands at 48% nationally. There are expectations K Street’s offices will start opening soon, and, personally, I sent out dry-cleaning last week in the hopes I’ll need more than my go-to blazer for Zoom interviews. All of this is reason for optimism — unless you’re in the progressive flank of the Democratic Party. That group’s moment in the limelight appears to be fading fast, at least when it comes to keeping conservatives sold on big government’s potential. A follow-up survey from Pew finds Republicans’ support for stepped-up government action fell from 32% to 23% in April — a steep fall in such a short period of time. When asked if government does the right thing more often than not, Republicans answering in the affirmative sank from 28% to just 9%. Around the country, conservatives’ temporary indulgence in government’s promise seems to be melting. [States](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/14/labor-shortage-companies-hiring-488200?nname=playbook-pm&nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nrid=0000014e-f116-dd93-ad7f-f917ff110002&nlid=964328) like Florida are restoring job-search requirements for those receiving unemployment assistance. South Carolina is one of 14 states cutting-off more-generous unemployment benefits early that were funded by Washington to run through September. (The one exception to these findings is support for having the government provide high-speed Internet; there’s been a 15-point jump in that idea among all voters since September 2019, pre-pandemic.) This is also bad news for Biden, who has bet big on his infrastructure and family plans. Liberal allies are encouraging him to lump the two plans together for quick passage through Congress before August. As this newsletter [noted](https://time.com/6048700/biden-infrastructure-pressure-left/) last week, left-leaning groups are growing tired of chasing a bipartisan compromise and just want to take the win and, well, move on. That seems like a logical strategy, especially if America is starting to slink away from its embrace of government’s good. It’s easier to distrust government when you don’t need it any more. Nature is healing, the memes tell us, despite CDC [numbers](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends%5Fdailytrendscases) showing the U.S. is still logging 30,000 new cases every day and 12,000 deaths daily. That death toll is twice what it was last summer when conservatives liked government action. As conservatives are returning to their default position, progressives are left trying to speed ahead with an agenda fast expiring. The aperture is closing, and the activist class is rushing to take advantage of what could be a fleeting opportunity. What could have been an heir to the New Deal might actually collapse into a sequel to Reaganomics. _Make sense of what matters in Washington._ [_Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter._](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/politics?source=dc%5Farticle) **Correction, May 18** The original version of this story misstated the current seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths in the United States. 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