Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

02/18/2021

States Can Choose Better Path for Higher Education Funding in COVID-19 Recession | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

In the COVID-19 recession, half of the states are choosing to cut higher education again. There's still time for states to choose a better path that prioritizes people and communities and the state’s long-term future: http://bit.ly/2ZnSYKL

Accessible, well-funded higher education is crucial for residents’ quality of life, a strong state economy, and thriving communities, but after the Great Recession hit over a decade ago, states...

02/12/2021

Policymakers in the House were hard at work this week on much needed COVID relief.

Check out everything that's in the House relief bills: https://www.cbpp.org/blog/budget-resolution-roundup

02/10/2021

As the budget reconciliation moves through the House Ways and Means Committee, we are seeing critical additional relief to reduce evictions and other hardship on the docket, like:
- $19 billion in emergency aid for low-income renters who have lost income or are otherwise experiencing hardship due to COVID-19 and risk losing their housing.
- $750 million for assistance to tribal nations and Native Hawaiians currently living on either tribal areas or Hawaiian Homelands.
- $5 billion for Housing Choice Vouchers for people recovering from homelessness and renters at greatest risk of homelessness if they lose their current housing. This is one of the best ways to mitigate homelessness and create longer-lasting housing security.

02/03/2021

Gonzales: Biden’s Immigration Action Reflects Vision of Our Nation as One That Welcomes Immigrants

President Biden’s actions on immigration will help ensure that the U.S. welcomes people who want to build a life here and that immigrants who are already here and their families can access critical services they are eligible for: https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/gonzales-bidens-immigration-action-reflects-vision-of-our-nation-as-one-that

Leer en español CBPP today released a statement from Shelby Gonzales, Director of Immigration Policy, on President Biden’s announcement regarding the “public charge” rule: President Biden’s actions today will go a long way toward ensuring once again that the United States welcomes people wh...

02/01/2021

Letter: Economic Think Tank Leaders Urge Policymakers to Pass Robust COVID Relief to Control the Virus, Address Hardship, Boost Economy

We, along with five other organizations, call on policymakers to pass strong, robust relief as soon as possible.

We believe the risk from providing too little in relief and economic recovery far outweighs the risk of providing too much, and have come together in this moment with others concerned for our nation.

With sufficient federal spending to sustain demand in the economy and address the public health crisis, the economy could mount a robust recovery in 2021 once the virus is under control. But if the federal government withdraws support too soon, we could face years of weak growth and high unemployment, as borne out in the Great Recession and its aftermath. Avoiding that outcome should be our top economic priority.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/letter-economic-think-tank-leaders-urge-policymakers-to-pass-robust-covid-relief-to-control

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi H-232, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Majority Leader Chuck Schumer S-221, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy H-204, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Minority Leader Mitch McConnell S-230, The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Dear Speaker....

01/29/2021

While we often focus our attention on assistance programs for families, there is one huge demographic that often gets overlooked: non-elderly adults without minor children. These people are often caught in the gaps—working too much to receive other federal assistance programs, but with fluctuating schedules and wages below the poverty line.

We’ve compiled a resource for policymakers to see the breadth of this issue; this demographic is the only one currently being taxed further into poverty by the federal government, and lawmakers need to look at the data to find real solutions.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/a-frayed-and-fragmented-system-of-supports-for-low-income-adults

01/28/2021

Hardship Remains High, Latest Census Data Show

Our updated tracker features new data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey showing the pandemic’s ongoing impact. According to the latest Pulse data, collected January 6-18:

- Nearly 24 million adults — 11 percent of all adults — reported that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last seven days.

- An estimated 15.1 million adults living in rental housing — 1 in 5 adult renters — weren’t caught up on rent.

- More than 80 million adults — 35 percent of all adults — reported it was somewhat or very difficult for their household to cover usual expenses in the last seven days.

Policymakers must continue to act with urgency while passing #CovidRelief, if we are to keep people afloat.

https://www.cbpp.org/blog/hardship-remains-high-latest-census-data-show

Hardship remains high across the board although some measures halted their upward trend in early January, Census data released today show. Millions of people report that their household didn’t get enough to eat, isn’t caught up on rent, or struggled to cover usual expenses. While the relief pack...

01/24/2021

TANF Provisions of Biden-Harris Relief Plan Would Help Families With Lowest Incomes

Biden's new #CovidRelief plan includes nearly $1 Billion for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), a program specifically created to target folks most in need of cash assistance. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1 in 5 households with children are having trouble getting enough to eat and 1 in 4 are behind on their rent, the latest Census data show. Poverty and hardship, even for a short period, can have detrimental, life-long impacts on children.

While more funding and policy changes are needed to address the unmet need for cash assistance, this additional $1 billion represents a significant investment in TANF.

https://www.cbpp.org/blog/tanf-provisions-of-biden-harris-relief-plan-would-help-families-with-lowest-incomes

President Biden’s emergency relief plan includes $1 billion to help states deliver much-needed aid to families with the lowest incomes through state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs — which would mark an important step in the federal response to today’s extraordinary har...

01/24/2021

In April, the Census Bureau launched their Household Pulse Survey, a questionnaire to help bring weekly data about hardship across America.

The most recent results are in, and it’s not pretty. Data shows that it’s low wage jobs that are disappearing the most, putting those on the bottom of the financial ladder in even deeper peril. 1 in 5 renters isn’t caught up on rent, with even higher rates for Black, Latino, and Indigenous & multiracial renters.

Check how your state is doing in our up-to-date hardship tracker:

https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and

01/23/2021

Needs of Younger Generations Argue for Further Fiscal Relief and Stimulus

COVID-19 has done a number on our economy, and young people who experience hardship, poverty, and food insecurity are far likelier to continue to experience those challenges into adulthood. Fifty-eight percent of workers aged 18-24 reported loss of employment income in May, the highest of every age group.

Some may claim that the additional federal debt resulting from further relief would be too costly for children and future generations: but shortchanging the immediate, substantial needs of the economy in the name of these younger generations would be shortsighted and even self-defeating.

https://www.cbpp.org/economy/needs-of-younger-generations-argue-for-further-fiscal-relief-and-stimulus

Shortchanging the immediate substantial needs of the economy in the name of younger generations would be shortsighted and even self-defeating.

01/23/2021

In Case You Missed It...

In Case You Missed It...

This week we focused on the federal budget and taxes, family income support, state budgets and taxes, food assistance, health, poverty and inequality, and the economy.

https://www.cbpp.org/blog/in-case-you-missed-it-540

This week at CBPP, we focused on the federal budget and taxes, family income support, state budgets and taxes, food assistance, health, poverty and inequality, and the economy. On the federal budget and taxes, Chuck Marr detailed how the Biden-Harris Child Tax Credit expansion would lift 10 million....

01/22/2021

Rosenbaum: Executive Action on Food Assistance Strengthens Federal Response to Hunger

The #COVID19 crisis has sparked an alarming growth in food hardship, and households with children and communities of color have been disproportionately affected. More than 29 million adults report that their household didn’t get enough to eat sometimes or often in the last seven days, according to the most recent Census survey in mid-December. This figure has risen by 7 million since late August and is about four times the most comparable pre-pandemic estimate.

The President’s recent executive order to address food hardship is a strong response to families’ immediate hardship during the COVID crisis and takes an important step to re-evaluate the adequacy of SNAP benefits in helping low-income Americans afford an adequate diet.

Our children are our most precious resource, and increasing funding to SNAP, as President Biden’s Executive Order did today, will help ensure that families can weather the storm of #COVID19.

https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/rosenbaum-executive-action-on-food-assistance-strengthens-federal-response-to

The President’s executive order to address food hardship is a strong response to families’ immediate hardship during the COVID crisis and takes an important step, consistent with congressional direction from the 2018 Farm Bill, to re-evaluate the adequacy of SNAP benefits in helping low-income A...

01/22/2021

SNAP Matters – Now More Than Ever: Boosting SNAP Benefits

It's no surprise that we've been calling for #SNAP benefits to be boosted in light of #COVID19 & the economic crisis. SNAP is one of the nation’s most effective programs to respond to hardship & stimulate the economy during a downturn.

https://youtu.be/4NjPtoLqUCM

01/21/2021

Introduction to Budget “Reconciliation”

There has been much talk of the new administration using reconciliation in the coming weeks—and it’s important to know what that means. In short, reconciliation bills aren’t subject to filibuster and the scope of amendments is limited, giving this process real advantages for swiftly enacting budget and tax measures – like much needed #COVIDRelief.

This particular quirk of our democracy has been used 21 times previously, including by the previous administration in 2017. We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions about budget reconciliation to help folks understand the precedents set by previous reconciliation bills, and how to navigate the conversation around this legislative process.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/introduction-to-budget-reconciliation

With majorities in the House and Senate, Democratic leaders may well use a special legislative process called “reconciliation” to quickly advance high-priority fiscal legislation. Created by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, reconciliation allows for expedited consideration of certain tax, s...

01/21/2021

The Biden emergency #Relief plan includes an expansion to the Child Tax Credit: an expansion that would make the credit available to over 27 million children and lift 9.9 million children out of poverty. To understand the impact of the proposed Child Tax Credit expansion, consider these examples:

A single mother with a 4-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, who is out of work for the year due to a health condition, now receives no Child Tax Credit at all, adding to the family’s financial insecurity. Under the Biden plan, she would receive the full Child Tax Credit of $3,600 for her daughter and $3,000 for her son to help with the children’s expenses.

A married couple in which one spouse earns $20,000 as a short-order cook and the other cares for their 3-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter now receives a credit of $2,625 — well below the $4,000 credit that a higher-income family with two children receive. Under the Biden plan, they would receive the full Child Tax Credit of $3,600 for their son and $3,000 for their daughter, or a gain of $3,975 for this family.

Check our full report:
https://www.cbpp.org/blog/biden-harris-child-tax-credit-expansion-would-lift-10-million-children-above-or-closer-to

01/20/2021

Parrott: President-Elect Biden’s Relief Plan Meets Urgency of Health and Economic Crisis

The Biden Administration’s new #COVID Relief plan learns from the mistakes of the 2009 Great Recession and steers away from austerity to focus on individuals and families. In addition to boosted food, rental, and unemployment assistance, his relief bill includes:

Additional TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) funds to help states cover the costs and provide additional cash assistance to families with very low incomes.

An expansion to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which would help millions of low-income families with children and workers without minor children at home make ends meet in the wake of the health and economic crisis. 27 million children who currently don’t get the full credit (or in some cases, any credit at all) because their family’s incomes are too low would then be eligible.

Substantial additional child care funding, to supplement the funds provided in the year-end relief package.

An extension of paid sick days and family/medical leave for workers affected by COVID through September and an expansion of these benefits to cover more than 100 million additional people — including many front-line workers — who were left out of the paid leave provisions in the March 2020 Families First Act.

Enacting this plan would give substantial relief to people struggling to weather the #COVID19 health and economic crises.

https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/parrott-president-elect-bidens-relief-plan-meets-urgency-of-health-and-economic

President-elect Biden’s emergency relief proposal is a substantial, responsible plan that would significantly reduce the hardship that millions of people across the country are now facing.

01/20/2021

Parrott: President-Elect Biden’s Relief Plan Meets Urgency of Health and Economic Crisis

It’s clear what individuals and families gain in the Biden-Harris #COVIDRelief plan:

Expanded unemployment benefits for millions of people through at least September (the current legislation only pays through March),

An extension of the federal moratorium on evictions until September and a call for Congress to fund legal assistance programs to help those facing eviction,

Additional funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help pay utilities,

An extension of the recently enacted increase in SNAP benefits through at least September,

Funds specifically to support schools and public colleges, funding to hire more local public health workers, and aid to help states and localities avoid laying off more people,

AND

Critical support for tribal governments…

But wait, there’s more! (check our page for part 2 or click the link to read the full statement).

https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/parrott-president-elect-bidens-relief-plan-meets-urgency-of-health-and-economic

President-elect Biden’s emergency relief proposal is a substantial, responsible plan that would significantly reduce the hardship that millions of people across the country are now facing.

01/15/2021

Administration Should Act to Expand and Improve Health Coverage

🚨SABOTAGE WATCH 🚨

The Trump Administration has been hard at work the last four years trying to sabotage the ACA, and it shows a drastic and worrying shift in the healthcare safety net. Some of these actions include:
⛰️Making it harder for eligible people to get coverage
✂️Encouraging states to cut coverage
🔪Cutting financial assistance
💩Weakening consumer protections

But that doesn’t mean it’s over—the fight is just beginning! The Biden administration has a real opportunity, and the Biden-Harris #COVIDRelief measures are a great start. But we can’t end things there. The Biden Administration should:
🧑‍⚕️Make it easier for people to get & keep coverage through Medicaid & the ACA health insurance marketplaces.
💲Improve people’s ability to afford coverage.
💪Bolster protections to ensure that people get good-quality coverage.
📈Use #Medicaid & ACA waivers & demonstration projects to encourage states to expand & improve coverage, rather than take it away, as the Trump Administration has done.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/administration-should-act-to-expand-and-improve-health-coverage

Alongside legislation to expand health coverage and make it more affordable, the Biden Administration can take administrative actions to reduce the uninsured rate, begin to address disparities in health coverage, and improve the affordability and quality of coverage for many people.