Skip to main content
off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

In Case You Missed It . . .

| By CBPP

This week at CBPP, we focused on the federal budget and taxes, state budgets and taxes, health reform, the safety net, and housing.

  • On the federal budget and taxes, we excerpted David Reich’s new analysis of a House bill that would further cut infrastructure funding.  Joel Friedman urged lawmakers to drop a funding gimmick aimed at boosting defense spending and seek sequestration relief for both domestic and defense programs.  Arloc Sherman joined with Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute to urge lawmakers to adequately fund the Census Bureau.  We posted an overview of the congressional 2016 budget plan, updated our paper on ten serious flaws in the plan, and updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession.
  • On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman explained why North Carolina’s tax cuts aren’t the economic boon that some claim and showed that the states with the largest tax cuts have experienced weak economic growth.  Liz McNichol pointed to a new report from The Volcker Alliance on ways to improve state budgeting.
  • On health reform, Edwin Park explained why the Republican Study Committee’s health reform bill would add millions to the uninsured and underinsured.  He and Sarah Lueck detailed the ill effects of a health reform plan from Senator Ron Johnson.  Also, Lueck described how Senator Bill Cassidy’s health plan would add to the ranks of the uninsured, while Park laid out how the plan would encourage tax sheltering.
  • On the safety net, LaDonna Pavetti emphasized the positive role of SNAP (formerly food stamps) in helping low-income families climb the economic ladder. We highlighted a TalkPoverty.org feature with CBPP’s Jared Bernstein and Erica Williams on 10 ways to reduce poverty and inequality.
  • On housing, Will Fischer explained why basing voucher subsidies on rents in local neighborhoods would make vouchers more efficient and effective.

CBPP's Chart of the Week: Biggest Tax-Cutting States Show Weak Growth

Biggest Tax Cutting States Not Seeing Boom

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

Will Republicans Ever Buy a Carbon Tax?
US News and World Report
June 12, 2015

Congress must act now on the EITC and Child Tax Credit
The Hill
June 8, 2015

Recession, Politics and Policy Stretch Arizona School Budgets
New York Times
June 5, 2015

Don't miss any of our posts, papers, or charts -- follow us on Twitter and Instagram.