A strategic two-year effort to land key presidential appointments is helping progressives advance their policies without waiting for Congress. : In the first six months of the Biden administration, progressives have scored a series of landmark achievements. They got Congress to approve $4 billion for minority farmers as part of the spring COVID-19 relief bill, though it now faces a court challenge. They have broadened the mandate of the Federal Trade Commission. And they are running, for now, the gatekeeper office that reviews new regulations.