EPI in the news

• Historic immigration decline could damage the hotel industry

  The loss of immigrant workers does not translate into jobs for U.S.-born workers, said Economic Policy Institute president Heidi Shierholz, adding that the Trump administration appears to be operating under an “absolutely false notion” that it does. 

  “If you deport a workforce of immigrant roofers and framers, fewer houses will be built, so U.S.-born electricians and plumbers also lose their jobs,” she said. “The impacts really ripple out.” 

  She also cited Economic Policy Institute research forecasting that if the administration succeeds in its goal of deporting 1 million immigrants a year, nearly 6 million jobs will be lost by the end of Trump’s term, including 2.6 million held by U.S.-born workers.

  Travel Weekly | April 7, 2026
• Train clips Sumter school bus. What we know

  Mounting requirements, difficult schedules and stressful conditions add up to bus driver shortages across the nation, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  Daily Commercial | April 7, 2026
• ‘There’s a lot of desperation’: skilled older workers turn to AI training to stay afloat

  About half of workers in the US aged 50 to 54 are involuntarily pushed out of long-term jobs before they expect to retire, according to the Urban Institute, a policy research nonprofit. The pandemic only intensified those pressures. Roughly 5.7 million workers over 55 lost their jobs in early 2020, and many have yet to return to stable work, according to the Economic Policy Institute, also a research organization.

  The Guardian | April 7, 2026
• Multimillion-dollar CEO pay at these 20 low-wage companies is costing you. This is the only fix.

  Amazon.com (AMZN) and Starbucks (SBUX) are clear examples. Thousands of workers at these two low-wage 20 corporations have voted to unionize. But over the past four years, executives have deployed various stalling tactics to block contracts. At Lowe’s, executives have fired pro-union workers before organizing campaigns could even get off the ground.

  This type of labor suppression is a major reason wages have not kept pace with productivity gains for the past 45 years. If they had, paychecks for typical workers would be roughly 40% greater, the Economic Policy Institute said.

  MarketWatch | April 7, 2026
• April 13, 2026
  | April 7, 2026
• The best college towns in the U.S. for 2026: Bozeman, MT, leads for 3rd straight year

  Data sources:

  • Economic Policy Institute (cost of living)
  RentCafe | April 6, 2026
• Five Actors On the Perks (and Perils) of Making It in D.C.

  Even if an actor were to make $1,300 a week for 52 weeks, their gross annual income would be $67,600, well below the $72,551 needed to adequately support one adult with no children in D.C. as estimated by the Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator

  Washington City Paper | April 6, 2026

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