How the Democratic Socialists of America plan to remake the US
As the Democratic Socialists of America recruit and support candidates for 2026, its calls to create a "single federal legislature," expand voting rights to noncitizens, and place major industries under public control could become a defining fault line within the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) released a sweeping agenda that extends well beyond familiar calls for universal healthcare and higher wages. Its 2025-2026 program calls for public ownership of major corporations, voting rights for noncitizen residents, and a
“single federal legislature.”
In a July 14 Dallas Express report, Drew Robinson examined the DSA document, titled “Workers Deserve More.”
“The proposals are not abstract discussion points,” Robinson wrote. “DSA ties them directly to its endorsement criteria for candidates in the 2026 elections. Endorsed office-seekers are expected to publicly identify as socialists, act as ‘socialist organizers first, and legislators second,’ recruit members, and build local chapters.”
Robinson added that DSA describes its strategy as a “democratic road to socialism” through which it seeks to advance its agenda at the ballot box. He noted that DSA’s electoral coverage has featured politicians and candidates including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb; New York Assemblymember Claire Valdez; Darializa Avila Chevalier; and D.C. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George.
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Beyond its electoral activity, Robinson examined the range of ideological factions operating within the organization. While DSA “rejects what it calls ‘authoritarian visions of socialism,’” he reported, it remains a “big tent” organization that includes an openly communist faction, known as Red Star.
In its program, DSA said it developed the agenda because it believes that “neither major party is capable of advancing a positive program that meets the needs of the majority of Americans.”
“Today, working people have few good options. In most political races, Americans will have the choice between far-right Republicans and corporate Democrats,” DSA wrote. “In both cases, workers lose, and our politicians will remain controlled by their corporate donors, not the ordinary people who voted for them.”
The organization said its 2025-2026 program seeks to “bring together millions of people throughout the U.S. to fight for a true democracy,” where working people “can beat the ruling class and forge a better world.”
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Public ownership and expansive government benefits
Under the DSA’s economic plan, the government would assume public ownership of the country’s largest corporations and essential industries, including major energy and transportation infrastructure.
DSA also supports a 32-hour workweek without reductions in pay or benefits, stronger union powers, the cancellation of all student debt, and higher taxes on wealthy earners and corporations.
The platform calls for universal health care at no direct cost to patients. Abortion and “gender affirming” procedures would be paid for by the government, not the individual. It also proposes free public education from prekindergarten through college, publicly funded housing, universal rent control, free childcare, and paid family leave.
Ending immigration deportation and expanding voting rights to noncitizens
The immigration section calls for demilitarizing the border, ending immigrant detention and deportations, and allowing workers to migrate between countries without restrictive immigration controls.
It would also extend full voting rights to noncitizens and people with criminal convictions.
DSA separately supports redirecting police funding to community services, while its National Political Committee created an Abolish ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Committee to develop a nationwide campaign.
Replacing the current constitutional system
Some of the platform’s most far-reaching proposals involve restructuring the federal government. DSA calls for a new constitution based on proportional representation and a “single federal legislature” that would replace the current House-and-Senate system. The organization also says the new system should “end the role of money in politics.”
Its program calls for replacing the electoral college with a national popular vote, expanding the House, ending the Senate filibuster, and reducing the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review. The organization also wants to replace the two-party system with a multiparty system.
Ending foreign aid and closing overseas bases
In foreign policy, DSA calls for sharply reducing the military budget, closing overseas bases, bringing troops home, and ending economic sanctions against countries including Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran.
The program demands an end to all U.S. military and economic aid to Israel and recognition of a Palestinian state. The platform also calls for recognizing the authority of the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
Future of Democratic Party
Robinson argued in his report that DSA’s growing influence has exposed a widening divide within the Democratic Party. A group of moderate Democratic lawmakers and candidates, he noted, recently signed a pledge declaring, “We are capitalist, not socialist.”
“As DSA-backed candidates seek office in 2026, the central question is no longer whether the organization has influence inside the Democratic Party,” Robinson concluded. “It is how much of this program its candidates would attempt to enact once elected.”
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