In Case You Missed It...

This week at CBPP, we focused on health, state budgets, food assistance, poverty and inequality, and social security.

• On health, Farah Erzouki emphasized that states need more time to implement Medicaid work requirements to ensure more eligible people don’t lose coverage. Allie Gardner described how Nebraska’s decision to implement work requirements early will put 25,000 people at risk of losing coverage and reduce program efficiency for all participants. Claire Heyison explained how Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees whose income has fluctuated could face much larger tax bills next year after last year's harmful Republican megabill eliminated advance premium tax credit repayment caps.
• On state budgets, Joanna LeFebvre underscored that as state budgets tighten, lawmakers should reconsider costly school voucher programs that largely benefit students already outside the public system. Michael Mitchell pointed out how Louisiana is planning extensive cuts to public services such as education to pay for expensive “tough-on-crime" policies that will likely have little impact on improving public safety. Don Griswold called on states to enact worldwide combined reporting to eliminate corporate income tax avoidance and raise state revenues. Wesley Tharpe submitted testimony to the Rhode Island Senate Finance Committee, calling on Rhode Island to adopt a targeted top rate on wealthier taxpayers to enhance state prosperity in the wake of federal cuts. Don Griswold testified to the California Assembly Standing Committee on Revenue and Taxation on the need to implement worldwide combined reporting to end corporate tax avoidance and ensure global corporations pay their fair share.
• On food assistance, Joseph Llobrera stressed that after the harmful Republican megabill enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in program history, people with low incomes are losing food assistance at the fastest rate in decades. We released fact sheets showing the vital role WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) plays in improving health and supporting local economies in every state. We also updated our SNAP tracker with new participation data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• On poverty and inequality, Victoria Gibney and Urvi Patel detailed the body of evidence that shows providing families with direct income support can promote child wellbeing by reducing maltreatment and exposure to the child welfare system.
• On social security, we updated our backgrounder on supplemental security income.

Chart of the Week — Change in SNAP Participation Since Jan. 2024

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

• Diana Azevedo-McCaffrey posted a thread to X and Bluesky on how strengthening and reducing barriers to cash assistance programs can help prevent child maltreatment, assisting families so that children can be cared for in their own homes.
• Shelby Gonzales posted a thread to X and Bluesky on how the House budget resolution would pave the way for billions of dollars to be directed towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, despite still having billions of funding from last year’s Republican megabill at the expense of funding for health coverage and food assistance.
• Wesley Tharpe posted a thread to X and Bluesky on a deeply regressive and costly proposal by Missouri lawmakers to replace the state’s income tax with an expanded sales tax, a move that would raise costs for low- and middle-income households and threaten funding for public services.
• Victoria Gibney posted a thread to Bluesky on how policies that increase household resources can reduce child maltreatment and help keep children safely with their families.
• Zoë Neuberger posted a new thread to X and Bluesky highlighting how providing breastfeeding support is one of the many ways WIC helps families with low incomes.
• Katie Bergh posted a thread to X and Bluesky pointing out new USDA data showing the number of people receiving SNAP has plummeted in the wake of devastating program cuts.

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

Nebraska rolls out Medicaid work requirements, putting thousands at risk of losing coverage 
NBC 
May 1, 2026 

As Medicaid work requirements go into effect Friday, Nebraska DHHS and advocates disagree on how implementation will go 
Nebraska Public Media 
April 30, 2026

Black unemployment is trending up. Policy is likely driving it 
Marketplace 
April 29, 2026

Republicans propose cutting WIC by $200 million 
Spectrum News 
April 29, 2026

Millionaire taxes gain steam as states face budget crunches 
Stateline 
April 29, 2026

The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families 
ProPublica 
April 28, 2026

How Populist Anger Fuels US 'Tax the Rich' Movement 
Bloomberg 
April 28, 2026

4 millones menos de personas reciben beneficios SNAP tras cambios de reglas por Donald Trump 
El Diario NY 
April 27, 2026

Social Security plans ‘limited’ rollout of systems to manage its workload 
Federal News Network 
April 24, 2026

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