This week at CBPP, we focused on the Census Bureau’s new poverty, income, and health coverage data for 2015. We also covered the federal budget and taxes, Social Security, and health care.
- On the federal budget and taxes, Richard Kogan reported that the decline in CBPP’s long-term debt projections since 2010 mostly reflects slower health care cost growth and lower interest rates. Chad Stone and Chye-Ching Huang cautioned that the Trump campaign’s use of “dynamic scoring” for its tax plan should be taken with more than a grain of salt. Stone explained why Mr. Trump’s expectations for economic growth are unrealistic. Kogan and David Reich showed that Trump’s “Penny Plan” would mean big cuts in domestic programs over time. Chuck Marr and Huang pointed out that the House GOP “Better Way” tax plan would overwhelmingly benefit the highest-income households. We also updated our state fact sheets on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
- On Social Security, Kathleen Romig explained that funding cuts to the Social Security Administration are hurting applicants and beneficiaries in every state.
- On health care, Paul Van de Water cautioned against repealing health reform’s increase in the threshold for deducting medical expenses.
Chart of the week: Large Health Coverage Gains Since 2013
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:
Donald Trump Promises Tax Cuts, Offset by Robust Growth
Wall Street Journal
September 15, 2016
Obama asks the right question on Trump: ‘Huh?’
Washington Post
September 14, 2016
U.S. Census Report: Household Incomes Rise In 2015
NPR
September 13, 2016
America’s Inequality Problem: Real Income Gains Are Brief and Hard to Find
New York Times
September 13, 2016
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