In case you missed it…

With Congress in recess this week, in Off the Charts we focused on a top legislative issue for next week when lawmakers return: the jobs bill.

Chief Economist Chad Stone reacted to a piece by New York Times columnist David Leonhardt about the role that deficit reduction should play in the jobs bill.  He also laid out what today’s jobs report means in a series of charts.

Nick Johnson, director of state fiscal policy, highlighted a key element of the jobs report: states, localities, and school districts cutting 22,000 jobs in May.  He pointed to the need for Congress to keep state budget deficits, and the need for additional state fiscal relief, in mind when forming the final jobs bill.

We also sat down with Paul Van de Water, senior fellow, to discuss the health reform law’s major sources of revenue.

In other news, the Center released statements on today’s jobs report and the National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers’ “Fiscal Survey of the States,” and a report on science’s role in determining aspects of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).