BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
This week at CBPP, we focused on state budgets and taxes, poverty and inequality, the economy, health, federal taxes, and food assistance.
- On state budgets and taxes, Victoria Jackson and Matt Saenz demonstrated that states can choose a better path for higher education funding in the COVID-19 recession. Michael Leachman and Erica Williams explained in a policy brief how states can learn from the Great Recession and adopt forward-looking, antiracist policies.
- On poverty and inequality, we reported that the House relief package would help millions and bolster the economy. We also updated our roundup of pieces analyzing congressional action on COVID relief as well as our fact sheet tracking the COVID-19 recession’s effects on food, housing, and employment hardships.
- On the economy, we updated our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available.
- On health, Tara Straw, Sarah Lueck, Hannah Katch, Judith Solomon, Matt Broaddus, and Gideon Lukens updated their report on how the health provisions in House relief bill would improve access to health coverage during COVID-19 crisis. We updated our piece explaining that the lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act is legally suspect but threatens the loss of coverage for tens of millions.
- On federal taxes, Chuck Marr, Kris Cox, Stephanie Hingtgen, Katie Windham, and Arloc Sherman updated their report examining the package’s critical expansions of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
- On food assistance, we updated our fact sheet explaining how states are using much-needed temporary flexibility in SNAP to respond to COVID-19’s challenges.
Chart of the Week — 27 States Cut Higher Education in Fiscal Years 2020 or 2021
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
Huge Drop In Federal Aid For The Poorest Is Blamed On Closed Social Security Offices
NPR
February 19, 2021
Can federal aid help bring back laid-off state and local government workers?
Marketplace
February 19, 2021
Democrats prepare for battle in push to pass Covid relief within weeks
NBC News
February 18, 2021
Schools Need More Help to Reopen Safely
The Progressive
February 17, 2021
The Covid-19 relief bill is also an Obamacare expansion bill
Vox
February 17, 2021
What ‘Drained-Pool’ Politics Costs America
New York Times
February 16, 2021
¿Sin seguro médico en medio de la pandemia? Desde hoy tienes otra oportunidad de inscribirte en Obamacare
Univision
February 15, 2021
‘Obamacare’ sign-ups reopen as Democrats push for more aid
Associated Press
February 14, 2021
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