In Case You Missed It...

| By CBPP

This week at CBPP, we focused on the federal budget, Social Security, and food assistance.

On the federal budget, Brendan Duke offered five questions to keep in mind ahead of the Trump Administration’s 2027 budget proposal, to gauge whether it offers real solutions to the affordability crisis his policies have so far worsened.
On Social Security, Kathleen Romig and Devin O’Connor highlighted new data revealing how the Trump Administration is short-staffing the Social Security Administration, which is degrading its vital services and could cause lasting damage.
On food assistance, Zoë Neuberger, Luis Nuñez, and Linnea Sallack underscored that the critical benefits of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are reaching more of those eligible in recent years. We also updated our fact sheets detailing WIC coverage rates and the program’s state-by-state impact.

The Center was active on social media this week. Here are some of our posts:

Jennifer Sullivan posted a thread to Bluesky highlighting early data that show ACA marketplace enrollment is down, and higher premiums are driving people to plans that will require them to pay more.
Katie Bergh posted a thread to X and Bluesky on new USDA data showing 2.5 million fewer people were receiving SNAP in December, after the Republican megabill enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history.
Rachel Jacobson posted a thread to X and Bluesky responding to state gas tax holiday proposals, and outlining better ways to support low-income families and protect state budgets.
Whitney Jemison posted a thread to X and Bluesky explaining how IRS data from Massachusetts disproves the myth of large-scale tax flight.
Sarah Lueck posted a thread to X and Bluesky marking the 16^th anniversary of the ACA.

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

Don’t miss any of our posts, papers, or charts — follow us on Bluesky, X, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.

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