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Progressive Policy Institute

Progressive Policy Institute The Progressive Policy Institute is an independent, innovative and high-impact D.C.-based think tank

The Progressive Policy Institute is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Founded in 1989, PPI started as the intellectual home of the New Democrats and earned a reputation as President Bill Clinton’s “idea mill.” Many of its mold-breaking ideas

have been translated into public policy and law and have influenced international efforts to modernize progressive politics. Today, PPI is developing fresh proposals for stimulating U.S. economic innovation and growth; equipping all Americans with the skills and assets that social mobility in the knowledge economy requires; modernizing an overly bureaucratic and centralized public sector; and, defending liberal democracy in a dangerous world. To connect ideas and political action, PPI relies on an extensive network of partners. The Institute has close ties to New Democrats in Congress, as well as leading governors and a host of dynamic mayors and metro leaders. It works with groups of rising progressive political leaders and millennial professionals, as well as policymakers, analysts and think tanks in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Operating as usual

Director of Health Care Policy
12/08/2022
Director of Health Care Policy

Director of Health Care Policy

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is currently seeking a full-time Director of Health Care Policy to join our busy and fast-paced Policy team. The Director of Health Care policy will lead PPI’s work in covering the many facets of health care policy, and will work closely with intersecting pol...

Today’s cycle of narrow wins and losses doesn’t give either party strong incentives to change course, since this year’s ...
12/08/2022
Can Democrats break America’s political stalemate?

Today’s cycle of narrow wins and losses doesn’t give either party strong incentives to change course, since this year’s loser could plausibly be back on top two years later. But the same dynamics dictate that they probably won’t be in power for long or have a majority big enough to do big things.

That’s why Democrats need a new strategy for breaking America’s political stalemate. That can be done only by dramatically expanding their coalition. Feeding activists more “unapologetically progressive” catnip to boost turnout won’t work, because there’s no leftwing majority in America. In fact, it’s more likely to further alienate the minority working-class voters who are already drifting away from the party.

The first step toward a solid Democratic governing majority is to stop hemorrhaging these voters. The second is to consolidate the party’s hold on independents, who broke modestly their way in the midterms. The third, and most difficult, is to start whittling away at the GOP’s enormous margins among white working-class voters.

When neither party can win a popular mandate for change, it’s hard for our country to make sustained progress in any direction.

NEW: PPI just released a new policy brief examining Europe's energy supplies before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukrai...
12/07/2022
Russian Shutoffs and American Exports: Explaining the European Natural Gas Shortage - Progressive Policy Institute

NEW: PPI just released a new policy brief examining Europe's energy supplies before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the role the U.S. has played in expanding exports to the EU in the wake of the war.

Read the policy brief & recommendations:

A PPI Policy Brief INTRODUCTION Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, placing the European Union in a bind and forcing a choice between supporting Ukraine with aid, arms sales, and sanctions on Russia on the one hand, or withholding support to maintain Russian natural gas supplies. Before the inv...

NEWS: UK Labour Adviser Claire Ainsley to Direct New PPI ProjectThe Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) announced it is e...
11/29/2022
UK Labour Adviser Claire Ainsley to Direct New PPI Project - Progressive Policy Institute

NEWS: UK Labour Adviser Claire Ainsley to Direct New PPI Project

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) announced it is expanding its international operation to the United Kingdom, bringing on Claire Ainsley as Director of the PPI Project on Center-Left Renewal. This new U.K.-U.S. initiative aims to catalyze and create renewal of the center-left, as social democrats have seen a revival in their fortunes around the world.

The PPI Project on Center-Left Renewal will look at the political forces driving the changes and how center-left parties can build sustainable majorities in volatile times. Most recently, Ainsley was Executive Director of Policy for the Labour Party’s Leader of the Official Opposition, Keir Starmer MP.

Read more from PPI:

Ainsley most recently served as Executive Director of Policy for the Labour Party’s Leader of the Official Opposition, Keir Starmer The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) announced it is expanding its international operation to the United Kingdom, bringing on Claire Ainsley as Director of the PPI ...

The Politics of Education: The School Choice Election Wave? - Progressive Policy Institute
11/28/2022
The Politics of Education: The School Choice Election Wave? - Progressive Policy Institute

The Politics of Education: The School Choice Election Wave? - Progressive Policy Institute

Join us! The Politics of Education: The School Choice Election Wave? Tuesday, November 29 1:00 p.m. ET   Join PPI's Reinventing America's Schools project on Tuesday, November 29th at 1:00 PM EST for a one-hour Zoom webinar in our series on the power and influence of politics in the fight for improv...

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at PPI!🦃
11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at PPI!🦃

In the wake of the collapse of crypto exchange platform FTX, the Progressive Policy Institute today sent a letter to lea...
11/17/2022

In the wake of the collapse of crypto exchange platform FTX, the Progressive Policy Institute today sent a letter to leadership of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs calling for a functional and modern regulatory regime for digital assets.

Read the letter: https://bit.ly/3Ap7Fjl

Build on this, Democrats: How the party can capitalize on Republicans’ midterm fizzle"Last week’s delightfully abnormal ...
11/13/2022
Build on this, Democrats: How the party can capitalize on Republicans’ midterm fizzle

Build on this, Democrats: How the party can capitalize on Republicans’ midterm fizzle

"Last week’s delightfully abnormal midterm elections left Democrats elated and Republicans wondering how they failed to parlay President Biden’s dismal approval ratings and public consternation over soaring prices into big political gains.

The answer has three overlapping parts..."

Last week’s delightfully abnormal midterm elections left Democrats elated and Republicans wondering how they failed to parlay President Biden’s dismal approval ratings and public consternation over soaring prices into big political gains.

The future of Social Security and Medicare has unexpectedly become a central point of contention in the final week befor...
11/03/2022
Neither Party Has A Good Plan For Social Security And Medicare

The future of Social Security and Medicare has unexpectedly become a central point of contention in the final week before the 2022 midterm elections. As the two biggest non-emergency spending programs in the federal budget and the foundation of retirement security for nearly all American workers, it makes perfect sense to have a conversation about Social Security and Medicare during election season – particularly since both programs face serious financial challenges as our population ages. Unfortunately, the debate currently playing out on the campaign trail is devoid of the serious substance voters deserve, and it’s abundantly clear that neither party has a good plan to secure these programs for current and future beneficiaries.

Read more in a new piece from PPI's Director of the Center for Funding America's Future Ben Ritz:

Securing these essential programs will require a far more serious conversation than the one voters have been hearing in the closing weeks of this election.

In partnership with Das Progressive Zentrum and Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, the Progressive Policy Institute convene...
11/02/2022
New Urban Progress – The Documentary

In partnership with Das Progressive Zentrum and Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft, the Progressive Policy Institute convened a group of international fellows to explore how cities on both sides of the Atlantic can join forces to foster metro innovation and democratic renewal.

By exchanging best practices and collaborating on bold solutions, young urban leaders from Germany and the United States studied how to best deliver social and economic progress while renewing the transatlantic partnership at the city level.

Hear from the fellows on what they learned:

The New Urban Progress (NUP) documentary was premiered at the Progressive Governance Summit 2022: Joining Forces. The travel documentary follows the NUP fell...

Is Germany ready to lead?It's the question many are asking as the country weighs a new role amongst Europe — and the wor...
10/25/2022
Is Germany ready to lead?

Is Germany ready to lead?

It's the question many are asking as the country weighs a new role amongst Europe — and the world.

To the surprise of many Americans, the creaky old transatlantic alliance is beginning to look like a strategic asset again.

A GAO analysis of U.S. Department of Education (ED) charter school grants from 2006 to 2020 found that while few charter...
10/24/2022
New government report underscores secret of charter schools’ success

A GAO analysis of U.S. Department of Education (ED) charter school grants from 2006 to 2020 found that while few charter schools close overall, charter schools that received federal Charter School Program (CSP) awards were more likely to succeed than similarly situated charter schools that did not receive an award. Regardless of a school’s grade level, locale or student body racial, ethnic and poverty percentages, CSP schools are one-and-a-half times more likely to remain in operation five years after opening. The GAO concluded that, even after 12 years, the pattern of CSP-seeded schools remaining open and educating students generally held.

More from PPI's Tressa Pankovits in The Hill:

It makes good sense for the federal government to provide grants to high-quality public charter schools seeking to open or expand.

NEW: PPI Polling Shows Midterm Voters Worry About Inflation, Support for Anti-Tech Antitrust Bills Could Cost SupportThe...
10/20/2022

NEW: PPI Polling Shows Midterm Voters Worry About Inflation, Support for Anti-Tech Antitrust Bills Could Cost Support

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) recently commissioned a national survey by IMPACT Research of midterm voters’ attitudes on competition issues across a variety of industries. The survey found that inflation is top of mind for likely 2022 voters, not competition in the technology industry. The voters polled prefer legislative actions focused on personal privacy and national cybersecurity, not antitrust issues.

According to IMPACT Research’s findings, supporting drastic legislation like the anti-tech antitrust bill pushed by Senators Klobuchar and Grassley is more likely to harm congressional candidates than help them. Voters are more inclined to vote for candidates focused on kitchen-table issues like inflation, protecting Medicare and Social security, cutting taxes on the middle class, and lowering health care costs.

Check out the memo on the exclusive polling here: https://bit.ly/3TkUdVi

A recent insinuation — unsupported by evidence — in a letter from Sen. Warren and Rep. Jayapal to Sec. Gina Raimondo is ...
10/07/2022
Gresser to Warren and Jayapal: Don’t charge people with bad faith unless you have evidence of it. Progressives can do better. - Progressive Policy Institute

A recent insinuation — unsupported by evidence — in a letter from Sen. Warren and Rep. Jayapal to Sec. Gina Raimondo is not only startling, but also troubling.

Progressives can do better.

A quick response after reading last Wednesday’s lengthy, startling, and troubling letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo: Don’t charge people with bad faith unless you have evidence of it. Progressives can do better. By way of introduction,...

Over the last two years, Congress has passed a series of landmark bills that together fund more than $500 billion in cle...
10/03/2022
GOP killed permitting reform — giving Democrats a new campaign issue

Over the last two years, Congress has passed a series of landmark bills that together fund more than $500 billion in clean energy investment, by far the largest ever enacted. More importantly, generous tax incentives can spur many trillions in direct private sector investments, creating a powerhouse U.S. advanced energy sector. Yet, right now, a broken U.S. energy permitting system short circuits thousands of major projects, imposing tremendously high costs in time and money to build clean infrastructure projects, if they get built at all.

Congress had an opportunity to fix this roadblock through a permitting reform bill, but despite claiming to support reform, Senate Republicans effectively killed the measure in a nakedly political effort to deny Democrats a popular policy win. Democrats should turn the tables on the GOP, making the economic and climate costs of this hypocritical action a major campaign issue in the upcoming midterm elections.

Read more in The Hill:

Otherwise, Congress risks undermining much of the good work it has done the last two years.

Brexit is done, and Donald Trump, given the boot by U.S. voters, is angrily pacing the political sidelines. But the upsu...
09/30/2022
How to beat national populism

Brexit is done, and Donald Trump, given the boot by U.S. voters, is angrily pacing the political sidelines. But the upsurge of rightwing populism that produced them both continues to roil transatlantic politics.

Last Sunday, the far-right Brothers of Italy party, which has a fascist lineage, finished first in national elections. Its leader, Giorgia Meloni, will become Italy’s first female prime minister. She’s a socially conservative Christian who opposes immigration, abortion and LGBTQ rights. Although she’s toned down her Euroskepticism, Meloni also is an “Italy First” nationalist likely to align with illiberal regimes in Poland and Hungary.

A virulent strain of national populism also is advancing in Europe’s social democratic heartland. The Sweden Democrats (SD), formerly a fringe party with neo-Nazi roots, finished a strong second in national elections earlier this month and will join a right-leaning government.

The SD channeled a public backlash against Sweden’s historic receptivity to political refugees and asylum seekers. It blamed a large influx of migrants from Muslim countries for a spate of gang violence and shootings in a country where gun violence has been rare.

In both cases, mainstream conservative parties overcame their previous scruples against “normalizing” xenophobic parties by joining them in governing coalitions. Elsewhere, conservatives have survived the nationalist whirlwind by coopting its key themes.

Read more from PPI President Will Marshall:

Across Europe, as in the Republican Party, rightwing nationalists are converging with mainstream conservative parties.

PPI Polling Finds Clear Message from Voters to Government: Don’t Touch My Beer - Progressive Policy Institute
09/29/2022
PPI Polling Finds Clear Message from Voters to Government: Don’t Touch My Beer - Progressive Policy Institute

PPI Polling Finds Clear Message from Voters to Government: Don’t Touch My Beer - Progressive Policy Institute

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) recently commissioned a national survey by IMPACT Research of midterm voters’ attitudes on competition issues across a variety of industries. The survey found that a large bipartisan majority of voters are not focused on competition issues and do not want Con...

If we don't change how we use and develop new antimicrobial drugs, millions of people around the world could die.Tomorro...
09/20/2022
Superbugs: The Coming Global Crisis to our Public and Economic Health - Progressive Policy Institute

If we don't change how we use and develop new antimicrobial drugs, millions of people around the world could die.

Tomorrow, tune in to an urgent conversation with public and economic health experts on the need for action against superbugs.

Space is limited, RSVP today!

Superbugs: The Coming Global Crisis to our Public and Economic Health Wednesday, September 21, 2022 2:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m. Zoom Webinar   About this event Join public health experts and economists for a conversation on the coming global crisis: antimicrobial germs, or 'superbugs'. The Progressive ...

PPI President Will Marshall has advice for Democrats ahead of the November elections: By speaking to authentic blue-coll...
09/15/2022
The puzzle Democrats must solve

PPI President Will Marshall has advice for Democrats ahead of the November elections:

By speaking to authentic blue-collar aspirations, the party can begin to win back the working-class voters who were their political home not so long ago.

If they want to be the party of the people again, Democrats should reorient their economic policies around the hopes and needs of America’s non-college majority.

A new PPI report sounds the alarm on antimicrobial resistance and recommends steps the government can take on an issue t...
09/13/2022
The world needs better incentives to combat superbugs - Progressive Policy Institute

A new PPI report sounds the alarm on antimicrobial resistance and recommends steps the government can take on an issue that isn't getting a lot of beltway attention.

Read the full report:

SUMMARY Germs resistant to treatments kill roughly 35,000 Americans per year. Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi are on the rise, and without changes in policy, could kill 12 million people annually worldwide by 2050. Drug-resistant infections could reduce global GDP by...

With the somber announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Will Marshall marks the historic importance of her extr...
09/09/2022
What a Reign - Progressive Policy Institute

With the somber announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Will Marshall marks the historic importance of her extraordinary 70-year reign.

As a radical Democrat of a Jeffersonian persuasion, I’m no fan of hereditary privilege. But if anyone could make a monarchist of me, it would be Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, aka Queen Elizabeth II. Her death at 96 today ends an extraordinary, epoch-spanning reign of 70 years. She was a teenag...

If Democrats want this year's midterm election outcomes to break from the norm, they need to restore parent's truth in a...
09/06/2022
U.S. School Closures Leave Students Behind.

If Democrats want this year's midterm election outcomes to break from the norm, they need to restore parent's truth in all our schools.

Since the Civil War, the president’s party has had a net loss of seats in 36 out of 39 midterm elections.

As America’s children start getting back to school this month, our country needs a grown-up conversation about public ed...
08/26/2022
Ban the culture war from classrooms

As America’s children start getting back to school this month, our country needs a grown-up conversation about public education’s future.

The odds of having one this fall are slim.

As America’s children start getting back to school this month, our country needs a grown-up conversation about public education’s future.

PPI Statement on Student Debt Cancellation:“We are disappointed that the Biden administration has caved in to left-wing ...
08/24/2022
PPI Statement on Student Debt Cancellation - Progressive Policy Institute

PPI Statement on Student Debt Cancellation:

“We are disappointed that the Biden administration has caved in to left-wing demands to pursue mass debt cancellation through executive action. This decision will cost taxpayers much more money than the Inflation Reduction Act will save for the foreseeable future and undermine the administration’s claim that it is doing everything it can to bring rising prices under control.

"Whether it's through inflation today, or higher taxes and spending cuts tomorrow, workers who don’t reap the benefits of a college education will bear the costs of canceling debt for those who do. Policymakers should instead focus on finding ways to control the underlying problem of skyrocketing tuition and provide stronger post-secondary pathways to good jobs that are more affordable and flexible than a traditional four-year degree.

“Attempting to grant mass debt cancellation by executive order also risks setting a dangerous precedent that would allow future presidents to unilaterally spend over a trillion dollars of taxpayers’ money without explicit approval from their representatives in the House and Senate. Congress and the courts must set clear guardrails to prevent future presidents from abusing their discretion and usurping the power of the purse."

Our full statement:

Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future project at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), released the following statement regarding President Biden’s executive order to cancel up to $20,000 of student debt for most borrowers: “We are disappointed that the Biden administ...

Next week, President Biden’s executive order imposing a freeze on student loan repayments and interest accrual is set to...
08/23/2022
Six reasons Biden should not cancel student debt

Next week, President Biden’s executive order imposing a freeze on student loan repayments and interest accrual is set to expire, and President Biden is under tremendous pressure from a years-long campaign by leftwing activists to cancel at least $10,000 of debt per borrower under a certain income threshold. This is a regressive and fiscally irresponsible demand likely to further estrange Democrats from working-class voters.

Here are six reasons why he should develop a plan to resume payments in a timely manner that doesn’t include mass debt cancelation by executive order:

1) Mass debt cancelation would undermine the Inflation Reduction Act

2) Canceling debt for most borrowers is a giveaway to affluent elites — paid for by workers

3) Student debt cancelation distracts from the real problem of college affordability

4) Mass debt cancelation by executive order sets a dangerous precedent

5) Student debt cancelation is bad politics

6) There are better tools available to help struggling borrowers

President Biden has already wiped out more student debt than any other president in history.

Lasting change is hard, and in the U.S. our system is designed to make large, systemic change nearly impossible.But when...
08/22/2022
Big transformative change is sometimes slow - Progressive Policy Institute

Lasting change is hard, and in the U.S. our system is designed to make large, systemic change nearly impossible.

But when lawmakers can coalesce around a policy, and build on it with time, big transformative change is possible.

Earlier this month, a new report showed that the United States reached the lowest uninsured rate ever recorded, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This was the result of Democrat persistence of the last decade: the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the subsequent...

🚨 PPI Lauds Passage of Inflation Reduction ActBen Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progr...
08/08/2022
PPI Lauds Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act - Progressive Policy Institute

🚨 PPI Lauds Passage of Inflation Reduction Act

Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released the following statement:

“The Progressive Policy Institute applauds Senate Democrats for passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This historic bill will help combat the climate crisis and promote American energy security with the largest investment in clean energy ever. The health care provisions will reduce costs for millions of families. New resources to help the IRS crack down on tax cheats will reverse the defunding of our tax police and ensure all Americans pay their fair share. And the bill would not only cover the cost of these policies, it would also reduce deficits by more than a quarter trillion dollars over the coming decade, which will help bring inflation under control.

“As is the case for most bills, the Inflation Reduction Act is not perfect. Its deficit reduction depends on a flawed plan to outsource tax policy to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, a private organization that solely exists to serve the information needs of investors rather than determine an economically efficient tax base. Other, better revenue-raisers were dropped, leaving the bill’s modest savings unable to offset the deficit increases created by legislation Congress passed just last month. And we’re sorry that many other progressive priorities we advocated for throughout the reconciliation process, such as closing the Medicaid coverage gap, could not be included.

“But the final bill is still far better than the mishmash of half-baked social programs and irresponsible budget gimmicks that many on the left were pushing earlier in the reconciliation process. PPI is proud of the role our Reconciling with Reality framework and analysis of various proposals played in shaping this historic legislation. We thank Senator Manchin, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, President Biden, and all the other lawmakers whose leadership contributed to this great outcome.

“The Inflation Reduction Act, together with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, represents the largest increase in public investment since the Johnson administration – it is a historic accomplishment for Democratic leaders in Washington. Now we urge them to finish the job by passing the permitting reform legislation they’ve promised to cut red tape, maximize taxpayers’ bang for their buck, and get these critical investments built in a timely manner. We also hope that additional legislation and executive orders they pursue later this year will build upon rather than squander the Inflation Reduction Act’s hard-earned deficit reduction.”

Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released the following statement: “The Progressive Policy Institute applauds Senate Democrats for passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This historic bill will help combat the climate c...

The infrastructure bill’s bipartisan broadband provisions gave unprecedented billions to cure the digital divide — $42 b...
08/01/2022
Lindsay Lewis: The government has no place in building, operating its own broadband

The infrastructure bill’s bipartisan broadband provisions gave unprecedented billions to cure the digital divide — $42 billion for building networks in rural areas that don’t have any yet and $14 billion to make broadband essentially free for low-income Americans who have it on their doorstep but don’t sign up. That’s huge.

But now some Democrats in the administration and in various states want to use some of those funds to actually get local governments into the business of building and operating vastly complex and expensive broadband networks themselves. This is like stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.

More from PPI's Executive Director Lindsay Lewis:

Broadband companies have to offer an excellent product to hold onto customers. The entry of local governments in this marketplace does not represent real competition.

Six months after invading Ukraine, not much has gone right for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. But it’s dangerous for ...
07/29/2022
How to stop Putin in Ukraine

Six months after invading Ukraine, not much has gone right for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. But it’s dangerous for despots to admit defeat, so he’s doubling down on death and destruction in hopes of salvaging something he can call a win.

Having failed to topple Ukraine’s government or overwhelm its highly motivated defense forces on the ground, Putin is settling into a grinding war of attrition, featuring World War II-style leveling of cities and terror attacks on civilians.

Read more in the latest from PPI President Will Marshall:

Putin’s bellicose expansionism poses the greatest threat to European peace and security since the Cold War ended.

The decision by Sen. Joe Manchin to walk away from more than a year of negotiations over a landmark clean energy legisla...
07/22/2022
Democrats: Don’t just declare a climate emergency — make clean energy a winning campaign issue

The decision by Sen. Joe Manchin to walk away from more than a year of negotiations over a landmark clean energy legislation is a bitter pill for President Biden and other Democrats who made passing effective climate change legislation a leading promise to voters.

But they shouldn’t give up.

After decades of pushing politically problematic policies like energy taxes that lost them elections and couldn’t get enacted, Democrats have actually finally produced the right climate policy approach: large, direct clean energy tax breaks for consumers and businesses that are hugely popular with voters.

Despite failed Senate negotiations, Democrats shouldn’t give up.

Congratulations are in order to thousands of public charter-school parents, educators and advocates who lifted their voi...
07/18/2022
Opinion | Charter Schools Win a Washington Battle

Congratulations are in order to thousands of public charter-school parents, educators and advocates who lifted their voices in opposition to the U.S. Education Department’s proposed changes to the federal Charter School Program.

Thanks to their relentless advocacy, the finalized rules adopted recently are more rational and slightly less burdensome than the bull-in-a-china-shop scheme the department unveiled in March.

But for the teachers unions and their Democratic supporters, the war goes on.

Each year, PPI analyzes financial reports of large U.S. companies and ranks them by their capital investment into the Un...
07/15/2022
Investment Heroes 2022: Fighting Inflation with Capital Investment - Progressive Policy Institute

Each year, PPI analyzes financial reports of large U.S. companies and ranks them by their capital investment into the United States.

This year, PPI found that companies with high levels of capital spending helped hold down prices increases in the digital sector, earning the name “Investment Heroes."

The best example is Amazon.com, whose 2021 estimated U.S. capital spending was $46.7 billion, making it the top Investment Hero for 2021. Meanwhile ecommerce margins have been falling, helping consumers.

Out of PPI’s 25 Investment Heroes for 2021, 9 of the top 11 are in tech, broadband, or e-commerce industries, helping hold down inflation in these digital sectors.

These companies include AT&T, Verizon, Alphabet, Comcast, and Apple to name a few.

The data supports our findings, too. For example, the high-investment telecom industry saw an inflation rate of only 0.5% over the past year.

After looking at the numbers, it’s clear that higher domestic capital investment results in lower inflationary costs.

To learn more about PPI’s Investment Heroes what companies made the list, read the full report:

The theme of this year’s Investment Heroes report is the powerful link between high investment and low inflation. Every year...

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The Progressive Policy Institute is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock.

Founded in 1989, PPI started as the intellectual home of the New Democrats and earned a reputation as President Bill Clinton’s “idea mill.” Many of its mold-breaking ideas have been translated into public policy and law and have influenced international efforts to modernize progressive politics.

Today, PPI is developing fresh proposals for stimulating U.S. economic innovation and growth; equipping all Americans with the skills and assets that social mobility in the knowledge economy requires; modernizing an overly bureaucratic and centralized public sector; and, defending liberal democracy in a dangerous world.

To connect ideas and political action, PPI relies on an extensive network of partners. The Institute has close ties to New Democrats in Congress, as well as leading governors and a host of dynamic mayors and metro leaders. It works with groups of rising progressive political leaders and millennial professionals, as well as policymakers, analysts and think tanks in Europe, Asia and Latin America.


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We're live! Tune in to the conversation!

Want to learn more? Read PPI's report: bit.ly/3xJrSPM
If we don't change how we use and develop new antimicrobial drugs, millions of people around the world could die.

Tomorrow, tune in to an urgent conversation with public and economic health experts on the need for action against superbugs.

Space is limited, RSVP today!
PPI President Will Marshall has advice for Democrats ahead of the November elections:

By speaking to authentic blue-collar aspirations, the party can begin to win back the working-class voters who were their political home not so long ago.
A new PPI report sounds the alarm on antimicrobial resistance and recommends steps the government can take on an issue that isn't getting a lot of beltway attention.

Read the full report:
With the somber announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Will Marshall marks the historic importance of her extraordinary 70-year reign.
If Democrats want this year's midterm election outcomes to break from the norm, they need to restore parent's truth in all our schools.
As America’s children start getting back to school this month, our country needs a grown-up conversation about public education’s future.

The odds of having one this fall are slim.
PPI Statement on Student Debt Cancellation:

“We are disappointed that the Biden administration has caved in to left-wing demands to pursue mass debt cancellation through executive action. This decision will cost taxpayers much more money than the Inflation Reduction Act will save for the foreseeable future and undermine the administration’s claim that it is doing everything it can to bring rising prices under control.

"Whether it's through inflation today, or higher taxes and spending cuts tomorrow, workers who don’t reap the benefits of a college education will bear the costs of canceling debt for those who do. Policymakers should instead focus on finding ways to control the underlying problem of skyrocketing tuition and provide stronger post-secondary pathways to good jobs that are more affordable and flexible than a traditional four-year degree.

“Attempting to grant mass debt cancellation by executive order also risks setting a dangerous precedent that would allow future presidents to unilaterally spend over a trillion dollars of taxpayers’ money without explicit approval from their representatives in the House and Senate. Congress and the courts must set clear guardrails to prevent future presidents from abusing their discretion and usurping the power of the purse."

Our full statement:
Next week, President Biden’s executive order imposing a freeze on student loan repayments and interest accrual is set to expire, and President Biden is under tremendous pressure from a years-long campaign by leftwing activists to cancel at least $10,000 of debt per borrower under a certain income threshold. This is a regressive and fiscally irresponsible demand likely to further estrange Democrats from working-class voters.

Here are six reasons why he should develop a plan to resume payments in a timely manner that doesn’t include mass debt cancelation by executive order:

1) Mass debt cancelation would undermine the Inflation Reduction Act

2) Canceling debt for most borrowers is a giveaway to affluent elites — paid for by workers

3) Student debt cancelation distracts from the real problem of college affordability

4) Mass debt cancelation by executive order sets a dangerous precedent

5) Student debt cancelation is bad politics

6) There are better tools available to help struggling borrowers
Lasting change is hard, and in the U.S. our system is designed to make large, systemic change nearly impossible.

But when lawmakers can coalesce around a policy, and build on it with time, big transformative change is possible.
Where’s the progressive plan to fix government?
HAPPENING NOW! The Politics of Education: Parent Voice

We're live! Tune in to the conversation!
Digital privacy laws are not ready for a post-Roe v. Wade future.
🚨 PPI Lauds Passage of Inflation Reduction Act

Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) released the following statement:

“The Progressive Policy Institute applauds Senate Democrats for passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This historic bill will help combat the climate crisis and promote American energy security with the largest investment in clean energy ever. The health care provisions will reduce costs for millions of families. New resources to help the IRS crack down on tax cheats will reverse the defunding of our tax police and ensure all Americans pay their fair share. And the bill would not only cover the cost of these policies, it would also reduce deficits by more than a quarter trillion dollars over the coming decade, which will help bring inflation under control.

“As is the case for most bills, the Inflation Reduction Act is not perfect. Its deficit reduction depends on a flawed plan to outsource tax policy to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, a private organization that solely exists to serve the information needs of investors rather than determine an economically efficient tax base. Other, better revenue-raisers were dropped, leaving the bill’s modest savings unable to offset the deficit increases created by legislation Congress passed just last month. And we’re sorry that many other progressive priorities we advocated for throughout the reconciliation process, such as closing the Medicaid coverage gap, could not be included.

“But the final bill is still far better than the mishmash of half-baked social programs and irresponsible budget gimmicks that many on the left were pushing earlier in the reconciliation process. PPI is proud of the role our Reconciling with Reality framework and analysis of various proposals played in shaping this historic legislation. We thank Senator Manchin, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, President Biden, and all the other lawmakers whose leadership contributed to this great outcome.

“The Inflation Reduction Act, together with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, represents the largest increase in public investment since the Johnson administration – it is a historic accomplishment for Democratic leaders in Washington. Now we urge them to finish the job by passing the permitting reform legislation they’ve promised to cut red tape, maximize taxpayers’ bang for their buck, and get these critical investments built in a timely manner. We also hope that additional legislation and executive orders they pursue later this year will build upon rather than squander the Inflation Reduction Act’s hard-earned deficit reduction.”
The infrastructure bill’s bipartisan broadband provisions gave unprecedented billions to cure the digital divide — $42 billion for building networks in rural areas that don’t have any yet and $14 billion to make broadband essentially free for low-income Americans who have it on their doorstep but don’t sign up. That’s huge.

But now some Democrats in the administration and in various states want to use some of those funds to actually get local governments into the business of building and operating vastly complex and expensive broadband networks themselves. This is like stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.

More from PPI's Executive Director Lindsay Lewis:
Six months after invading Ukraine, not much has gone right for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. But it’s dangerous for despots to admit defeat, so he’s doubling down on death and destruction in hopes of salvaging something he can call a win.

Having failed to topple Ukraine’s government or overwhelm its highly motivated defense forces on the ground, Putin is settling into a grinding war of attrition, featuring World War II-style leveling of cities and terror attacks on civilians.

Read more in the latest from PPI President Will Marshall:
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