Hardship in 2020 and 2021 would have been far worse without extraordinary steps taken by the federal government, states, and localities to respond to the pandemic and its economic fallout.

Congress should ensure that provisions to help people improve their employment opportunities and increase their earnings potential are included in a compromise Build Back Better (BBB) package.

The appropriations bills for fiscal year 2022 approved by the House Appropriations Committee would make crucial investments that are particularly important to communities of color.

The current appropriations debate should be viewed in the context of the significant austerity imposed on regular appropriations by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on this timely and important topic. My name is Ann Oliva; I am the Vice President for Housing Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The...

Congress should put the IRS on a path to a much needed, and long overdue, rebuild after years of crippling funding cuts.

As policymakers pursue compromise on a Build Back Better bill, they should craft legislation that, even if smaller, still makes significant progress toward more broadly shared prosperity in which more families can make ends meet and access health care, more children have what they need for healthy development and school success, and more workers can upgrade their skills to match the needs of today’s economy.

Adequate cash assistance is essential to help families maintain stability and to support children’s healthy development, especially when families with low incomes experience a job loss or other crisis. Yet since the early 20th century, cash assistance programs have provided very low benefits.

The increases the House was able to provide for low-income programs highlight the importance of reaching agreement on a robust topline for non-defense funding in coming negotiations.

Federal rental assistance helps struggling seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and working families keep a roof over their heads, often by helping them afford rental units they find in the private market. Ten million people in over 5 million low-income households receive federal rental assistance.

For decades, wealthy interests, large corporations, and their allies in state capitols have pushed tax cuts that haven’t yielded the promised economic benefits but instead have undermined state...

States continue to use their considerable flexibility under TANF to divert funds away from income support for families and toward other, often unrelated, state budget areas. By redirecting the funds back toward cash assistance, however, states could promote racial equity and child well-being.

States have broad flexibility over the use of state and federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Many have used that flexibility to divert funds away from income support for...

States continue to use their considerable flexibility under TANF to divert funds away from income support for families and toward other, often unrelated state budget areas. By redirecting the funds back toward cash assistance, however, states could promote racial equity and child well-being.

What Are Project-Based Vouchers? Most Housing Choice Vouchers are “tenant-based,” meaning people can use them to rent any private apartment that meets program guidelines....

Most families and individuals who meet the program’s income guidelines are eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program).  

The Biden Administration, which is currently re-examining Georgia’s waiver, should stop the state from leaving the federal marketplace by revoking federal approval to implement this harmful change.

The House-passed legislation would fill critical gaps in economic and health security programs for all five U.S. Territories, including permanent funding increases for their Medicaid programs and full access to SSI benefits.

BBB is unlikely to have any noticeable effect on inflation. The long-term benefits from its investments are large, while the risks of it generating inflation that the Federal Reserve cannot manage are small.

The additional vouchers provided through BBB would be expected to have only a limited impact on rents overall.