BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
Since the last time we rounded up our recent work at CBPP, we focused on health, the economy, state budgets and taxes, food assistance, poverty and inequality, and housing.
- On health, we rounded up our recent writings on the many risks that a suit to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) poses. Among these, we updated our explainer noting that the lawsuit is legally suspect but threatens loss of coverage for tens of millions. Matt Broaddus analyzed the rise in Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 recession. Inna Rubin discussed why you should visit Healthcare.gov, beginning November 1. We also updated our Sabotage Watch, which tracks efforts to undermine the ACA.
- On the economy, Chad Stone, Claire Zippel, Alicia Mazzara, Catlin Nchako, and Arloc Sherman reported on the urgent need for further COVID-19 relief in the face of a weaking economy and widespread hardship. We also updated our chart book tracking the post-Great Recession economy, our fact sheet noting that struggling families and the economy need a robust, bipartisan COVID relief agreement, and our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available.
- On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman urged federal policymakers not to forget fiscal aid for states in their resumed pandemic relief talks. Wesley Tharpe discussed how Arizona voters passed a budget initiative to improve the state’s tax code and advance critical funding for schools. Leachman and Elizabeth McNichol reported on the pandemic’s impact on state revenues, which is less than earlier expected but still severe. We also updated our fact sheet on state tax revenue shortfalls.
- On food assistance, Dottie Rosenbaum urged Congress to provide adequate SNAP funding for the 2021 fiscal year. Brynne Keith-Jennings updated her report explaining Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program. Keith-Jennings and Elizabeth Wolkomir updated their report comparing household food assistance in Puerto Rico with the rest of the United States. Stacy Dean, Zoë Neuberger, and Rosenbaum, along with Crystal FitzSimons and Etienne Melcher Philbin with the Food Research & Action Center, updated a report on the lessons learned from early implementation of the Pandemic-EBT program and opportunities for improvement. We updated our fact sheet explaining how states are using new flexibility in SNAP to respond to COVID-19 challenges.
- On poverty and inequality, we updated our tracker of the COVID-19 recession’s effects on food, housing, and employment hardships.
- On housing, we described basic facts about the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family-Self Sufficiency program.
Chart of the Week — Sharp Rise in Poverty Projected After Major CARES Act Relief Ends
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
Anti-hunger groups call on Biden to reverse some of Trump’s signature initiatives
The Washington Post
November 13, 2020
Biden Tax Credit Proposals Could Gain Traction in Split Congress
Bloomberg
November 12, 2020
How America’s approach to poverty could change in a Biden administration, Congress willing
The Philadelphia Inquirer
November 12, 2020
Millions of people may still be eligible to receive one-time pandemic relief checks
NPR
November 9, 2020
Advocates worry about an eviction crisis as 2021 approaches without a stimulus deal
CNBC
November 9, 2020
Medicaid expansion on chopping block in SCOTUS case
National Journal
November 9, 2020
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