The current crisis calls for a permanent subsidized employment program that can respond to short-term needs and support workers who are disadvantaged even in good economic times.

What Is TANF? Congress created the TANF block grant through the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as part of a federal effort to “end welfare as we know...

As the President and Congress turn to economic recovery legislation this spring and summer, however, they have a historic opportunity to make permanent progress by addressing the underlying weaknesses in our economy and our public policies that made the stopgap measures of the last year so necessary.

Congress and the President, no longer bound by multi-year caps on discretionary funding, have the opportunity this year to reset non-defense discretionary funding levels to remedy existing shortfalls.

The recovery legislation that policymakers will consider later this year provides a historic opportunity to build toward an equitable recovery.

By carefully planning how to resume normal operations at the end of the PHE, states can reduce the risk that eligible people will lose coverage and decrease administrative burdens for state staff and enrollees.

The American Rescue Plan Act gives states an additional financial incentive to expand Medicaid, strengthens coverage for current enrollees, and helps states weather the COVID-19 public health and economic crises.

Robust and reliable funding for substance use disorder services is essential for closing the treatment gap, where fewer than 13 percent of the 21 million-plus people who need substance use services get any.

American schools sorely need additional funding to ensure that they can reopen safely and meet students’ educational needs, and the American Rescue Plan Act provides $123 billion in new, flexible...

Created in 1935, unemployment insurance is a form of social insurance, with contributions paid into the system on behalf of working people so that they have income support if they lose their jobs....

The American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress has passed and President Biden is expected to sign on March 12, will provide needed help to tens of millions of people, reduce high levels of hardship, help school districts address student learning loss, and bolster the economy.

Making the full Child Tax Credit available to all children except those with the highest incomes and making an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit available to far more low-paid workers will result in historic reductions of child poverty and provide timely income support for millions of people.

Public housing can deliver major benefits to the people it serves, not only helping them keep a roof over their heads but also potentially acting as a platform for services that improve other aspects of their lives and contributing to reinvestment and improved conditions in surrounding neighborhoods.

The American Rescue Plan Act includes several vital provisions that would make comprehensive coverage more affordable and accessible for millions of people.

The American Rescue Plan Act includes substantial aid for millions of people who are struggling to pay their rent and avoid eviction, as well as badly needed resources to help communities address...

Public housing can deliver major benefits to the people it serves, not only helping them keep a roof over their heads but also potentially acting as a platform for services that improve other aspects of their lives and contributing to reinvestment and improved conditions in surrounding neighborhoods.

Twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have enacted their own version of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to boost the incomes of people paid low wages. State...

The Senate should pass the bill as quickly as possible so that these critical relief measures can begin to reach those who need it.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should provide detailed guidance and oversight to help states improve automatic Medicaid renewals using available data, through the ex parte process.

These provisions would result in historic reductions of child poverty and provide timely income support for millions of people, including millions of essential workers.

The strong benefits of the proposal far outweigh any potential reduction in employment.

Estimates of a realistic unemployment rate — one that includes people who are not looking for work for pandemic-related health or caregiving reasons — range from 8.3 percent to nearly 10 percent, far above the official 6.3 percent figure. Further relief measures are needed for a rapid and equitable recovery.

State fiscal conditions have improved since last fall but states still face unprecedented costs to address the immediate crisis, limit the long-term harm caused by the pandemic, and address...

A provision in the House economic relief bill would give the 14 states that haven’t yet implemented Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a strong new financial incentive to do so.

Children’s alarming rates of food and housing hardship risk inflicting sustained harm to the well-being and potential of a generation, but a strong package of income support policies can lower this risk and help more children realize their potential.

Children’s alarming rates of food and housing hardship risk inflicting sustained harm to the well-being and potential of a generation, but a strong package of income support policies can lower this risk and help more children realize their potential.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, undergraduate enrollment has fallen dramatically at traditional two- and four-year colleges (both public and private) but only slightly at for-profit institutions,...