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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

In Case You Missed It...

| By CBPP

This week at CBPP, we focused on the economy, the federal budget and taxes, state budgets and taxes, Social Security, food assistance, and health care.

  • On the economy, Jared Bernstein and Ben Spielberg proposed that policymakers act now to strengthen programs that help stabilize the economy during recessions.  
  • On the federal budget and taxes, Isaac Shapiro and others updated their report showing that funding for health, housing, and social services block grants has fallen dramatically over time.  Chuck Marr kicked off our “Countdown to Tax Day” blog series by examining where our tax dollars go, tracking where tax revenues come from, comparing U.S tax rates to other nations, and explaining why 8 million childless adults are taxed into (or deeper into) poverty.
  • On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman warned that proposed tax cuts in Mississippi would worsen the squeeze on education.  We highlighted his guest post for the Hope Policy Institute on a Mississippi immigration proposal that would weaken localities’ control over their budgets and law enforcement. 
  • On Social Security, Kathleen Romig analyzed a new proposed method of computing Social Security benefits for recipients with earnings outside of the system.
  • On food assistance, Dottie Rosenbaum and Brynne Keith-Jennings explained that the House Budget Committee budget plan calls for cutting SNAP (formerly food stamps) by more than $150 billion over the next decade.  We updated our chart book detailing how SNAP helps struggling families put food on the table.
  • On health care, Edwin Park praised a new proposal to curb overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans that serve employer or union retirees.  Hannah Katch detailed why instituting work requirements in Medicaid would increase the number of uninsured.

Chart of the Week: SNAP Error Rates Near Historic Lows

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

The Best Economic Bang for the Buck
U.S. News & World Report
March 25, 2016

Ryan's Wrong: Safety Net Doesn't Punish Work
Real Clear Policy
March 22, 2016

GOP’s Medicare Changes Could Weaken Traditional Benefit
Morning Consult
March 21, 2016

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