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Off the Charts Blog: In Case You Missed It...
May 17, 2013
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House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill Would Cut Nearly 2 Million People off SNAP
Revised May 16, 2013
On May 15, the House Agriculture Committee passed its 2013 farm bill, H.R. 1947 (the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, or FARRM).[1] The bill would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) by almost $21 billion over the next decade, eliminating food … -
Policy Basics: How Many Weeks of Unemployment Compensation Are Available?
Updated May 13, 2013
The unemployment insurance (UI) system helps many people who have lost their jobs by temporarily replacing part of their wages. (See “Introduction to Unemployment Insurance.”) The total number of weeks of benefits available in any particular state depends on the unemployment rate and unemployment insurance laws in the state where the person … -
Paul Van de Water Testimony: Health Reform’s Health Insurance Tax
May 9, 2013
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Hahn, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will extend health insurance coverage to 27 million people and help assure that Americans have access to affordable coverage. And it will do so in a fiscally responsible way. In … -
Tax Credits for Lower-Income Working Families Help 21 Million Mothers
May 9, 2013
Two working-family tax credits — the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) — have proven to be powerful tools for reducing children's poverty and advancing their long-term well-being.[1] About 21 million low- and moderate-income working mothers received either the EITC or the low-income portion of the CTC in … -
Medicaid Per Capita Cap Would Shift Costs to States and Undermine Key Part of Health Reform
May 8, 2013
Two prominent congressional Republicans have proposed placing a “per capita cap” on federal Medicaid funding, under which the federal government would no longer cover a fixed share of each state’s overall Medicaid costs but instead would limit each state to a fixed dollar amount per beneficiary.[1] The per capita cap … -
A Closer Look at Who Benefits from SNAP: State-by-State Fact Sheets
Updated May 8, 2013
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, reaching nearly 48 million people nationwide in 2012 alone. These fact sheets provide state-by-state data on who participates in the SNAP program, the benefits they receive, and SNAP’s role in strengthening … -
Policy Basics: Introduction to Medicaid
Updated May 8, 2013
What Is Medicaid? Created by Congress in 1965, Medicaid is a public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income families and individuals, including children, parents, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is funded jointly by the federal government and … -
Statement by Chad Stone, Chief Economist, on the April Employment Report
May 3, 2013
Today’s jobs report shows that labor markets still bear the scars of the Great Recession despite 38 straight months of private-sector job growth and a drop in the unemployment rate from 7.9 percent to 7.5 percent since January. Unemployment remains stubbornly high and many people who would likely have a … -
Chart Book: The Legacy of the Great Recession
Updated May 3, 2013
The United States went through its longest, and by most measures worst economic recession since the Great Depression between December 2007 and June 2009. This chartbook will document the course of the economy following that recession against the background of how deep a hole the recession created … -
Proposed Balanced Budget Amendment is Extreme by International Standards
Revised May 3, 2013
Some proponents of a constitutional balanced budget amendment have argued that other developed countries’ constitutions require balanced budgets, suggesting that such a requirement for the federal government would therefore be appropriate.[2] In reality, however, no European country — not even Germany or Switzerland, which are … -
SNAP Benefits Will Be Cut for All Participants in November 2013
Revised May 1, 2013
The 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary boost to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is scheduled to end on November 1, 2013, resulting in a benefit cut for every SNAP household. For families of three, the cut likely will be $20 to $25 a month — $240 to $300 a year. That’s a serious loss, … -
SNAP Online: A Review of State Government SNAP Websites
Updated May 1, 2013
All states make information regarding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, [1] including their applications, state policy manuals or regulations, and general program information, available to the public via the Internet.[2] The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reviewed all the states' web pages to determine what information … -
Reducing Overpayments in the Earned Income Tax Credit
April 30, 2013
A recent report from the Treasury Department’s Inspector General raised the issue of overpayments in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).[1] The EITC, a tax credit for low- and moderate-income working families that has been shown to increase work, lower welfare receipt, and reduce poverty, has a significant error rate that needs … -
Obama Proposal to Limit Tax Breaks for High-Income Households Would Reduce Total Charitable Contributions By a Modest 1.6 to 3.0 Percent
Revised April 30, 2013
The President’s fiscal year 2014 budget includes a proposal from previous Obama budgets to limit the tax subsidies that affluent Americans take for deductible expenses and some other tax expenditures. After the President made this proposal in previous budgets, some critics contended it would lead to substantial reductions in … -
A Technical Assessment of SNAP and Medicaid Financial Eligibility Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Updated April 25, 2013
Beginning in 2014, the number of low-income people eligible for Medicaid will expand dramatically. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) sets a national minimum standard for Medicaid eligibility to cover most individuals with incomes below 133 percent of the poverty line.[1] The Supreme Court ruling leaves it up to states to decide … -
Chained CPI Proposal Would Cut Social Security Retirement Benefits by About 2 Percent, on Average
April 23, 2013
The President’s new budget proposes to use the chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) for computing cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security and certain other federal benefits, as well as for indexing key parameters of the tax code.[1] The effect of this proposal on Social Security retirement benefits would vary by a … -
Commentary: Think Obama’s Medicare Savings Aren’t Significant? Take a Closer Look.
April 23, 2013
Commentators, pundits, and some policymakers routinely say that while the President’s new budget takes useful steps to reduce the cost of health care programs, the steps are small and rather timid. This judgment seems rooted in the belief that the budget’s changes affecting Medicare beneficiaries, which save a modest $64 … -
Policy Basics: State Supermajority Rules to Raise Revenues
April 22, 2013
Legislatures in most states (34 states plus the District of Columbia) can approve tax bills with a simple majority vote in each house, the same margin required for practically every other bill. In the other 16 states, some or all tax bills require a supermajority vote of each house (plus the … -
The Earned Income Tax Credit and Refundable Child Tax Credit in Rural America
April 19, 2013
In 2010, 22.9 percent of rural tax filers — compared with 20 percent of filers nationwide — claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), according to research by the Brookings Institution and the Carsey Institute.[1] This difference reflects rural areas’ generally lower wage levels. The EITC brought $10.5 billion in benefits to … -
Strategies to Address the State Tax Volatility Problem
April 18, 2013
State revenues plummet in recessions, just when states can least afford the loss. Some proposals to address this flaw in state tax systems would change the systems’ structure — for instance, by replacing state personal income taxes with sales taxes — but wouldn’t solve the problem and would exacerbate others in … -
Chart Book: Top Ten Tax Charts
Updated April 18, 2013
In recognition of Tax Day, we’ve collected our top ten charts related to federal taxes. Together, they provide useful context for ongoing debates about how to reduce deficits and reform the tax code. Our first chart reminds us what taxes pay for. National defense, Social Security, and major health programs like Medicare and Medicaid account for … -
Policy Basics: Deficits, Debt, and Interest
Updated April 18, 2013
Three important budget concepts — deficits (or surpluses), debt, and interest — are often misunderstood. Deficits (or Surpluses) For any given year, the federal budget deficit is the amount of money the federal government spends (also known as outlays) minus the amount of money it … -
Myths and Realities about the Estate Tax
Revised April 16, 2013
The estate tax is a tax on property (cash, real estate, stock, or other assets) transferred from deceased persons to their heirs. Only the wealthiest estates in the country pay the tax because it is levied only on the portion of an estate’s value that exceeds a specified exemption level, currently $5.25 million per person … -
Policy Basics: Tax Exemptions, Deductions, and Credits
Updated April 16, 2013
Tax exemptions, deductions, and credits all can reduce the amount of taxes that a person owes. Some of these tax benefits are intended to reflect a person’s ability to pay tax; the Child Tax Credit, for example, recognizes the costs of raising children. Other tax benefits, such as the deductions for charitable donations and home mortgage interest payments, … -
Policy Basics: Federal Payroll Taxes
Updated April 15, 2013
The federal government levies payroll taxes primarily on wages and self-employment income and uses most of the revenue to fund Social Security, Medicare, and other social insurance benefits. Federal payroll taxes generated $845 billion in 2012, or 35 percent of all federal revenues (see “Policy Basics: Where Do Federal Tax Revenues Come From?”). … -
Policy Basics: Marginal and Average Tax Rates
Updated April 15, 2013
Misunderstandings about two different types of tax rates often create confusion in discussions about taxes. A taxpayer’s average tax rate (or effective tax rate) is the share of income that he or she pays in taxes. By contrast, a taxpayer’s marginal tax rate is the tax rate imposed on his or her last dollar of income. Taxpayers’ average tax rates … -
Policy Basics: Where Do Federal Tax Revenues Come From?
Revised April 12, 2013
In fiscal year 2012, the federal government spent $3.5 trillion on the services it provides, such as national defense, health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security benefits for the elderly and disabled, and investments in infrastructure and education, in addition to interest on … -
Policy Basics: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?
Revised April 12, 2013
The federal government collects taxes to finance various public services. As policymakers and citizens weigh key decisions about revenues and expenditures, it is instructive to examine what the government does with the money it collects. In fiscal year 2012, the federal government spent $3.5 … -
Policy Basics: Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go?
Updated April 12, 2013
With state revenues still deeply damaged by the recession, policymakers continue to confront major choices about how to pay for important services now and in the future. To inform this crucial decision making, it is useful to examine where state tax dollars go as well as changing trends over time.… -
President Obama’s Deficit-Reduction Package and Other Proposals in the 2014 Budget
April 11, 2013
The President’s 2014 budget is presented in two parts. One part includes the package of deficit- reduction policies that the President included in his last offer to Speaker Boehner during the “fiscal cliff” negotiations in December 2012. This package would reduce the deficit by $1.8 trillion over the next decade … -
Federal Income Taxes on Middle-Income Families Remain Near Historic Lows
Revised April 11, 2013
Federal taxes on middle-income Americans are near historic lows,[1] according to the latest available data. That’s true both for federal income taxes and total federal taxes.[2] Income taxes: A family of four in the exact middle of the income spectrum will pay only 5.3 percent of its 2013 income in federal income taxes next year, according to a new analysis by … -
The Impact of the Sequester on WIC
Revised April 11, 2013
WIC — the highly effective nutrition program that serves roughly 9 million low-income women and children — has been battered by funding uncertainty for the last six months as Congress grappled with how to accomplish deficit reduction over the coming decade. The WIC funding level recently enacted for the remainder of the … -
Statement by Robert Greenstein, President, on President Obama’s FY 2014 Budget
April 10, 2013
President Obama’s budget includes a $1.8 trillion deficit reduction package that reflects his last offer to Speaker Boehner during their budget talks in December. The new budget — like the President’s offer — represents a substantial compromise on the President’s part; compared to the President’s original offer to the … -
Commentary: The Debate Over the Chained CPI
April 9, 2013
The news that President Obama’s new budget will propose adopting the “chained” Consumer Price Index (CPI) for cost-of-living adjustments in Social Security and other retirement programs, and annual inflation adjustments in the tax code, has intensified the debate on this issue. Some commentators portray this proposal as … -
Earned Income Tax Credit Promotes Work, Encourages Children’s Success at School, Research Finds
Revised April 9, 2013
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which went to 27.5 million low- and moderate-income working families in 2010, provides work, income, educational, and health benefits to its recipients and their children, a substantial body of research shows. In addition, recent ground-breaking research suggests, the EITC’s benefits extend well … -
Statement by Chad Stone, Chief Economist, on the March Employment Report
April 5, 2013
Today’s jobs report, with disappointing job growth and a large drop in the labor force, shows that a robust jobs recovery remains elusive. That situation won’t likely improve in coming months as the sequestration budget cuts begin to slow the economic recovery and make it harder … -
Mortgage Interest Deduction Is Ripe for Reform
April 4, 2013
Costing about $70 billion a year, the mortgage interest deduction is one of the largest federal tax expenditures, but it appears to do little to achieve the goal of expanding homeownership. The main reason is that the bulk of its benefits go to higher-income households who generally could afford a home without assistance: in 2012, … -
Making Health Care More Affordable: The New Premium and Cost-Sharing Assistance
Updated April 3, 2013
Under the new health reform law, people of modest means will get help paying for health insurance premiums and “cost-sharing” expenses — costs that people with insurance have to pay out-of-pocket like co-payments for doctor visits and hospital care — beginning in 2014. This help will come in the form of … -
Tax Foundation Figures Do Not Represent Typical Households’ Tax Burdens
April 2, 2013
The Tax Foundation released its annual “Tax Freedom Day” report today that, once again, can leave a strikingly misleading impression of tax burdens — showing an average federal tax rate across the United States that’s likely higher than the tax rate that 80 percent of U.S. households actually pay. To project the day … -
Sequestration Could Deny Rental Assistance to 140,000 Low-Income Families
April 2, 2013
The budget cuts known as “sequestration,” initiated on March 1, will likely force state and local housing agencies to cut the number of low-income families using Housing Choice Vouchers to afford housing by roughly 140,000 by early 2014.[1] This represents a sharp break from Congress’ bipartisan commitment — … -
The Value of TANF Cash Benefits Continued to Erode in 2012
March 28, 2013
Cash assistance benefits for the nation’s poorest families with children fell again in purchasing power in 2012 and are now at least 20 percent below their 1996 levels in 37 states, after adjusting for inflation. Unlike in 2011, when six states reduced the already-low benefits they provide through the Temporary Assistance for … -
Chart Book: SNAP Helps Struggling Families Put Food On The Table
Updated March 28, 2013
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program. SNAP reaches millions of people in need of food assistance. It is one of the few means-tested government benefit programs available to almost all households with low incomes. For more detail on the program’s basics, see … -
Policy Basics: Introduction to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Updated March 28, 2013
What Is SNAP? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program. In 2012, it helped almost 47 million low-income Americans to afford a nutritionally adequate diet in a typical month. Nearly 72 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children; more … -
Ryan Budget Would Shift Substantial Costs To States and Localities
March 27, 2013
The budget that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan developed and the full House passed recently would cause federal support for services that state and local governments provide — schools, health care, clean water facilities, and law enforcement, for example — to decline precipitously over the next several years. … -
Ryan Block Grant Proposal Would Cut Medicaid by Nearly One-Third by 2023 and More After That
March 26, 2013
The Medicaid block grant proposal in the budget plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, which the House of Representatives passed on March 21, would cut federal Medicaid (and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP) funding by 31 percent by 2023, because the funding would no longer keep pace with health … -
Sequestration by the Numbers
March 22, 2013
The automatic budget cuts known as “sequestration” took effect on March 1. Under the requirements of the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) as amended by January’s American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), both defense and non-defense programs were automatically cut, or sequestered, reducing total funding by $85 billion. While the press and public have focused on the programmatic effects of … -
State Personal Income Tax Cuts: A Poor Strategy for Economic Growth
March 21, 2013
Policymakers in a number of states including Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin are promoting deep cuts in personal income taxes as a prescription for economic growth — an approach that has not worked particularly well in the past and is not supported by the preponderance of the … -
Ryan Budget Would Undermine Safety Net’s Work Supports
March 21, 2013
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan justifies the massive cuts he proposes in programs for low- and moderate-income Americans in part by claiming that the current safety net “can create a powerful disincentive to get ahead.”[1] He uses this argument to defend converting both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition … -
Commentary: Why Balancing the Budget by the End of the Decade Is Not the Right Goal
March 20, 2013
As the House and Senate consider their respective budget resolutions this week, a key point of debate will be whether balancing the budget over the decade is an essential goal. We don’t think it is. We agree with Alice Rivlin, a former director of both the Congressional Budget …
