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off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

In Case You Missed It...

| By CBPP

This week on Off the Charts, we focused on the safety net, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the federal budget and taxes, health care, state budgets and taxes, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, and Social Security.

  • On the safety net, we excerpted Robert Greenstein’s testimony before the House Budget Committee on trends in poverty over the last 50 years, the current state of the safety net, and how policymakers might work together to make progress going forward.  We highlighted his commentary explaining that the farm bill makes sound reforms to SNAP (formerly food stamps) while rejecting harsh cuts.  LaDonna Pavetti pointed to research findings on the success of a Recovery Act program that placed 260,000 low-income workers in subsidized jobs and she explained that several states have decided to use their own funds to create or expand subsidized jobs programs.
  • On the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Chuck Marr explained that President Obama’s call to expand the EITC for childless workers positions Washington well to take this important step.  To mark EITC Awareness Day, we issued three pieces related to the EITC and its sibling, the Child Tax Credit, and we highlighted our updated Tax Credit Outreach website that provides key resources for workers who may be eligible for the credits.
  • On the federal budget and taxes, Chye-Ching Huang listed key facts and resources regarding a number of tax policies President Obama mentioned during his State of the Union address.
  • On health care, Edwin Park argued that a new Senate Republican proposal to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act would mean less coverage, higher costs, and fewer protections for consumers and he reiterated that the federal commitment to funding the Medicaid expansion stands.  January Angeles highlighted new estimates from Virginia’s Medicaid agency that show the expansion would actually save the state more than $1 billion through 2022.
  • On state budgets and taxes, Elizabeth McNichol pointed out that others are echoing the call for states to use caution before prematurely cutting taxes.
  • On unemployment insurance, Chad Stone listed three reasons why Congress should restart emergency jobless benefits.
  • On the minimum wage, Jared Bernstein explained that policymakers should pair a stronger minimum wage with an expanded EITC to help low-wage workers.
  • On Social Security, Kathy Ruffing argued that most of the growth in the number of disabled workers collecting Disability Insurance benefits stems from five demographic factors.

In other news, we issued papers on how states can adopt or expand EITCs to build a stronger future economy, how demographic changes have affected growth in Disability Insurance, and summarizing the nutrition title of the 2014 farm bill.  We also issued Robert Greenstein’s testimony before the House Budget Committee on poverty and the safety net and his commentary on the farm bill.  We updated our backgrounders on the EITC and the Child Tax Credit and our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession.

CBPP’s Chart of the Week:

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A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:

Enhancing the EITC Would Encourage Work and Reduce Poverty
Slate
January 28, 2014

Charts: Unemployment Benefits' Big Bang for the Buck
Mother Jones
January 28, 2014

17 Charts About Economic Inequality Obama Should Read Before The State of The Union
New Republic
January 27, 2014

Farm bill agreement heading to floor
Politico
January 27, 2014