In Case You Missed It… | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

off the charts

POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

This week at CBPP, we focused on the federal budget, including the President’s 2017 budget; health care; state budgets and taxes; food assistance; Social Security; the economy; and housing.

On the federal budget, Robert Greenstein explained how the President’s 2017 budget addresses key unmet national needs while substantially reducing deficits. Edwin Park described how the budget would improve both the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. LaDonna Pavetti noted that the President’s budget includes initiatives that would help deeply poor families improve their circumstances and prevent other families from falling into such poverty. Chad Stone praised a provision in the budget that would modernize policies for unemployed workers. Liz Schott listed six ways that the budget would strengthen the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. We updated our backgrounder on federal deficits, debt, and interest.
On health care, Jennifer Wagner identified four strategies that states can use to coordinate Medicaid and SNAP renewals to streamline operations and help eligible families maintain their benefits. Sarah Lueck explained how new constraints on special enrollment periods would make it harder for uninsured individuals to enroll in marketplace coverage.
On state budgets and taxes, Nicholas Johnson laid out steps to fixing Puerto Rico’s fiscal problems. Nick Albares examined Kansas’ Supreme Court ruling that the state is failing to meet its constitutional obligation to fund its schools.
On food assistance, Dottie Rosenbaum highlighted a new paper that details the diverse group of adults facing the cut-off of SNAP (formerly food stamps) in 2016. We explained that SNAP costs and caseloads fell for the second consecutive year in 2015.
On Social Security, Kathleen Romig pointed out the limitations to the Social Security Administration’s Disability Insurance (DI) demonstration projects and explained why prompt action is needed to test DI work incentives.
On the economy, we updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession and our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available.
On housing, we updated our report on how housing vouchers can help address California’s rental crisis.

Chart of the Week: Adults Subject to SNAP Time Limit Don’t Fit a Single Profile

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

Hear Obama Out
U.S. News and World Report
February 12, 2016

Congress Expands Program Giving Housing Authorities More Autonomy
NPR
February 8, 2016

States shouldn't waste effort trying to lure jobs from other states, report argues
The Cap Times
February 5, 2016

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