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There will be pain

Extending Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, no matter how financed, will hurt most working families.

The amount of taxes owed but not paid each year is currently larger than the overall fiscal gap, driven by the richest U.S. households and businesses cheating the law and underpaying taxes. Extending the expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) would increase the fiscal gap by nearly 50%, from 2.1% to 3.3%. Read more

Principles for the upcoming tax reform debate

The rise of the ‘union curious’

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act isn’t working and there’s no reason to think that will change

Tariffs: Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask

During his presidential campaign, President Trump pledged to impose universal tariffs of 10–60% on all U.S. imports—a whopping $4.2 trillion in goods and services purchased from abroad in 2024.

Now the Trump administration seems to be making good on the threat to enact extremely high and broad-based tariffs. Read more

Check out the NEW Data Library

Up-to-date and comprehensive historical data on the American Labor Force at your fingertips!

The State of Working America Data Library provides researchers, media, and the public with easily accessible, up-to-date, and comprehensive historical data on the American labor force.

Compiled from Economic Policy Institute analysis of government data sources, use it to research wages, inequality, and other economic indicators over time and among demographic groups. Explore the data →

A low-cost policy that’s good for workers and state economies

Striking workers in most states can’t receive unemployment insurance (UI). The cost of UI for strikers would represent between 0.04% to 0.96% of a given state’s total UI expenditures.

Providing UI to striking workers supports them and their communities by stabilizing the economy where a strike is taking place. And providing UI protections to striking workers may actually lead to fewer strikes. Read more

Latest Research

There will be pain: Continuing low tax rates for the rich and corporations will hurt working families

February 13, 2025 By Josh Bivens Report
Tariffs—Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask

February 10, 2025 By Adam S. Hersh and Josh Bivens Fact Sheet
Elon Musk’s DOGE is hacking U.S. Treasury funds—and our democracy

February 5, 2025 By Heidi Shierholz Statement
Unemployment insurance for striking workers: A low-cost policy that’s good for workers and state economies

February 3, 2025 By Daniel Perez Report
Federal funding freeze risks throwing the U.S. economy into chaos

January 28, 2025 By Samantha Sanders and Josh Bivens Statement

View all publications

Blog

This week in Federal Policy Watch: The Trump administration continues attacks on federal agencies

February 14, 2025 By Samantha Sanders Blog
This week in Federal Policy Watch: Elon Musk’s DOGE takes over federal government

February 7, 2025 By Celine McNicholas Blog
Significant revisions to labor market data don’t change underlying story of a strong economy

February 7, 2025 By EPI Staff Blog
EPI’s updated Family Budget Calculator shows that states like Virginia need a higher minimum wage

February 6, 2025 By Katherine deCourcy and Elise Gould Blog
“No tax on tips” will harm more workers than it helps: Proposals in Congress and now 20 states could encourage harmful employer practices and lead to tip requests in virtually every consumer transaction

February 6, 2025 By David Cooper and Nina Mast Blog
Job openings continued to trend down in December

February 4, 2025 By EPI Staff Blog
Work requirements for Medicaid do not address the real barriers to work and risk throwing many into health insecurity

February 3, 2025 By Hilary Wething Blog

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EPI in the news

Unions take DOGE to court

A court hearing today will determine whether the group — along with union affiliates and the Economic Policy Institute — can truly halt Elon Musk’s advances.

Politico Morning Shift | February 14, 2025
House Democrats introduce bill to close carried interest loophole

The legislation is endorsed by…Economic Policy Institute, and the National Women’s Law Center.

Financial Regulation News | February 14, 2025
Democrats reintroduce no-tax-on-tips bill that would also end the sub-minimum wage

The issue has also been taken up at the state level, with bills introduced in about 20 states, according to the think tank the Economic Policy Institute, a vocal opponent.

EPI contends few workers would benefit from removing taxes on tips because lower-income workers would not likely meet income thresholds needed to qualify. And it would create new avenues for tax avoidance that could deplete state and federal budgets.

Restaurant Business Magazine | February 14, 2025
The real obstacle for Trump’s campaign against DEI isn’t Democrats. It’s demography

…groups, according to an analysis of federal data by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. Ben Zipperer, an EPI…[paywall].

CNN | February 14, 2025
What to Know About Trump’s Effort to End Birthright Citizenship

Around 600,000 immigrants who work in the U.S. are H1-B visa holders, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

South Side Weekly | February 14, 2025
What does Wisconsin’s minimum wage from 2009 mean today?

Cites EPI’s minimum wage tracker.

Channel 3000 | February 14, 2025
‘There Will Be Pain’: How Trump Tax Giveaways to the Rich Hurt Small Businesses and Working People

As the Trump administration and congressional Republicans pursue trillions of dollars in new tax giveaways for wealthy individuals and corporations, economists and pollsters this week are warning about how devastating the GOP’s plan would be for small businesses and working families.

There Will Be Pain is the matter-of-fact title of a Thursday report from Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). It details how extending the expiring provisions from the tax law that Republican lawmakers passed and Trump signed in 2017 “will have painful trade-offs for the U.S. economy and most Americans.”

Common Dreams | February 14, 2025

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Latest Research

There will be pain: Continuing low tax rates for the rich and corporations will hurt working families

Tariffs—Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask

Elon Musk’s DOGE is hacking U.S. Treasury funds—and our democracy

Unemployment insurance for striking workers: A low-cost policy that’s good for workers and state economies

Federal funding freeze risks throwing the U.S. economy into chaos

Blog

This week in Federal Policy Watch: The Trump administration continues attacks on federal agencies

This week in Federal Policy Watch: Elon Musk’s DOGE takes over federal government

Significant revisions to labor market data don’t change underlying story of a strong economy

EPI’s updated Family Budget Calculator shows that states like Virginia need a higher minimum wage

“No tax on tips” will harm more workers than it helps: Proposals in Congress and now 20 states could encourage harmful employer practices and lead to tip requests in virtually every consumer transaction

Job openings continued to trend down in December

Work requirements for Medicaid do not address the real barriers to work and risk throwing many into health insecurity

EPI in the news

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EARN

Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy

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Unequal Power

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