BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
This week at CBPP, we mainly focused on how economic recovery legislation Congress is working on is a chance to make important investments in the federal budget and taxes, housing, health, food assistance, the economy, Social Security, and poverty and inequality:
- On the federal budget and taxes, Chuck Marr, Kris Cox, and Arloc Sherman discussed how the recovery package should permanently include families with low incomes in the Child Tax Credit. Marr highlighted the three tax policy tests the package holds for Congress. Marr and George Fenton explained that a corporate lobbying campaign against the Biden Administration’s tax proposals is inaccurate and unpersuasive. Kathleen Romig explained how the package represents the nation’s first comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.
- On housing, Sonya Acosta, Anna Bailey, and Will Fischer pointed out how housing vouchers strengthen other recovery agenda investments. Ann Oliva described how recovery legislation’s housing voucher investments would make major progress in cutting homelessness and housing instability.
- On health, Judith Solomon detailed how the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s recovery legislation would permanently close the Medicaid coverage gap. Jennifer Sullivan, Miriam Pearsall, and Anna Bailey outlined how recovery legislation offers a chance to close the Medicaid coverage gap and improve behavioral health.
- On food assistance, Zoë Neuberger described how nutrition provisions in recovery legislation could substantially reduce children’s food hardship.
- On the economy, Nick Gwyn reported on the House Ways and Means Committee recovery bill’s glaring omission of unemployment insurance reform. We also updated our backgrounders on unemployment insurance and how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available and our chart book tracking the post-Great Recession economy.
- On Social Security, Romig emphasized that policymakers can expand Supplemental Security Income to cut poverty for seniors and people with disabilities.
- On poverty and inequality, we updated our piece tracking the COVID-19 economy’s effects on food, housing, and employment hardships.
Chart of the Week – Full Refundability Drives Anti-Poverty Impact of Rescue Plan’s Child Tax Credit Improvements
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this past week. Here are some of the highlights:
Democrats take early steps toward new paid leave program, as work continues to craft $3.5 trillion bill
Washington Post
September 10, 2021
12 states still refuse to expand Medicaid. Why that’s a problem for all of us
MarketWatch
September 10, 2021
The top 1% dodge $163 billion in annual taxes, Treasury estimates
CNBC
September 9, 2021
‘This is the Biden agenda’
New York Times
September 8, 2021
Closing the Medicaid coverage gap can address falling life expectancy for Latinos
The Hill
September 8, 2021
Two anchors of COVID safety net ending, affecting millions
AP
September 5, 2021
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