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 food assistance, federal taxes, the federal budget, state budgets and taxes, health care, housing, Social Security, and the economy.

On food assistance, we and the Food Research & Action Council (FRAC) released a report detailing the rise in adoption of community eligibility, through which more than 18,000 schools in high-poverty neighborhoods are offering school meals at no charge. We updated our database of schools that qualify for and have adopted community eligibility and posted a set of related interactive maps. Ed Bolen noted that thousands of the nation’s poorest people began losing SNAP benefits on April 1 due to the return of a three-month time limit for unemployed adults aged 18-49 who aren’t disabled or raising minor children.

On federal taxes, Chuck Marr and Cecile Murray detailed how IRS funding cuts have compromised the agency’s taxpayer service and weakened enforcement. Marr, Chloe Cho, and Chye-Ching Huang explained how the Tax Foundation’s calculation of “Tax Freedom Day” can leave a misleading impression of the typical household’s tax burden.

On the federal budget, David Reich condemned the House budget’s deep cuts to non-defense discretionary programs. Richard Kogan warned that the House Republicans’ effort to eliminate the Social Services Block Grant should serve as a cautionary tale in light of similar efforts to convert Medicaid and SNAP (formerly food stamps) into block grants and he provided a closer look at the figures behind the House Republican budget. We rounded up our analyses of the House GOP budget.

On state budgets and taxes, Erica Williams highlighted five charts putting state taxes — and the programs they support — into context.

On health care, Edwin Park commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ plan to reduce Medicare Advantage overpayments and explained that a Medicaid per capita cap would cut health care access for millions of Americans.

On housing, Ehren Dohler pointed to a recent NPR series that illustrated the need to bolster federal rental assistance.

On Social Security, Kathleen Romig explained that while policymakers should continue exploring ways to help people with disabilities stay at or return to work, successful interventions will not be easy, quick, or cheap.

On the economy, we updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession.

Chart of the Week: Lowest-Income Households Pay Highest Effective State and Local Tax Rates

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

Handouts Are Often Better Than a Hand Up
New York Times
April 7, 2016

The real welfare queens are our legislators, not food-stamp recipients
Washington Post
April 4, 2016

Thousands Could Lose Food Stamps as States Restore Pre-Recession Requirements
New York Times
April 1, 2016

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