BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
This week at CBPP, we focused on the economy, the federal budget and taxes, state budgets and taxes, health, family income support, food assistance, Social Security, and poverty and inequality.
- On the economy, CBPP President Sharon Parrott released a statement outlining how President-elect Biden’s COVID relief plan meets the urgency of the health and economic crisis. Chad Stone explained that the jobs recovery stalled in December, highlighting the need for additional relief. We also updated our chart book tracking the post-Great Recession economy and our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available.
- On the federal budget and taxes, Paul Van de Water explained why concerns about growing federal debt should not dissuade policymakers from enacting additional COVID relief. Chuck Marr described the provision of the Biden COVID relief plan expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for adults not raising children.
- On state budgets and taxes, Wesley Tharpe and Michael Leachman explained that cutting state income taxes is counterproductive to prosperity and racial justice.
- On health, we updated our Sabotage Watch tracker of efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and summarized the Trump Administration’s health care sabotage. Hannah Katch listed ways the Biden Administration can reverse Trump Administration sabotage, and Sarah Lueck listed ways it can expand and improve health coverage.
- On family income support, Ali Safawi and Liz Schott updated their report showing why states should invest more TANF dollars in basic assistance for families and related policy brief. We also updated our state-by-state fact sheets on how states spend funds under the TANF block grant.
- On food assistance, Lauren Hall updated her state-by-state fact sheets on who benefits from SNAP.
- On Social Security, we updated our backgrounder on Puerto Rico’s Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled program.
- On poverty and inequality, we updated our fact sheet on the COVID-19 recession’s effects on food, housing, and employment hardships.
Chart of the Week — Jobs Recovery Stalls in December
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
Biden Covid-19 Relief Plan Aims to Ease Poverty, Advance Democratic Priorities
Wall Street Journal
January 15, 2021
What Biden's economic relief plan gets right (and how it might pass)
MSNBC
January 15, 2021
Red States Are Looking At Income Tax Cuts. But Will It Help Small Business Growth?
Forbes
January 15, 2021
‘Recovery? What Recovery?’ Ask Bridge Builders, Tractor Makers
Bloomberg
January 14, 2021
Kemp, Trump proposal to block ACA shopping website draws legal fight
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
January 14, 2021
Biden can fight climate change, guarantee housing, and halve poverty — without the GOP
Vox
January 13, 2021
Despite stimulus, fewer than 4 in 10 Americans could pay for an emergency $1,000 expense
USA Today
January 11, 2021
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