These policies harm everyone. They have created labor shortages in many states and industries. They have raised consumer prices for all Americans and are expected to reduce national GDP by more than 7 percent in future years, greater than the economic damage caused by the Great Recession. The Economic Policy Institute predicts that Trump’s goal of removing 4 million people from the country over the next four years would result in 2.6 million fewer jobs for U.S.-born workers.
The Hill
February 3, 2026
Higher productivity doesn’t always mean higher wages, however. Ever since the 1980s, wage growth has been held back by de-unionization and too much unemployment, said Ben Zipperer, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.
“When there’s more people trying to find a job, that means employers don’t have to work as hard to find workers, and that puts downward pressure on hourly pay,” Zipperer said.
That’s why wage growth hasn’t kept up with productivity growth, he said. “Workers are almost producing twice as much as they used to produce, in real terms since 1980 or 1979, whereas hourly pay basically grew by only a third of that.”
Marketplace
February 3, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, affordability is shaped by workers’ paychecks keeping pace with the cost of living. Since they haven’t been, people can no longer afford necessities like housing, rent and credit card interest rates.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
February 2, 2026
– Cost of living: Affordability is often the No. 1 factor when deciding where to relocate. To research and compare the cost of living from your current location to where you would like to move, use the previously mentioned BestPlaces.net, the Economic Policy Institute Family Budget Calculator at EPI.org/resources/budget
Altoona Mirror
February 2, 2026
Finally, according to the Economic Policy Institute, American teachers earn 26% less than other similarly educated professionals and it is one of the largest such gaps in the world.
North State Parent Magazine
February 2, 2026
An Economic Policy Institute analysis of Census data found that more than 50 million workers, or 35% of the working population, earn $20 or less.
Investopedia
February 2, 2026
The left-wing Economic Policy Institute estimates the H-2B population is roughly 170,000, roughly three times the much-quoted number of 66,000.
Breitbart
February 2, 2026
The landscape of unions has changed in the 21st century as America has moved from an industry-based economy to a more service-based economy, with traditional labor unions experiencing a decline in membership and organizing power. In the mid-20th century, unions represented nearly a third of private-sector workers; now that number hovers around 6%, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Louisville Courier Journal
February 2, 2026
States that hiked minimum wages saw slightly higher gains across the lowest-tier wages (the bottom 10%) between 2019 and 2024, but not enough to claim a correlation, an analysis by the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found. A range of factors could have shaped the wage increases, which also played out in the Midwest.
Wisconsin Watch
February 2, 2026
Ismael Cid-Martinez, economist at the Economic Policy Institute, told Newsweek: “The administration has described the new Trump Accounts as a savings vehicle that redefines the social contract. In reality, these accounts redefine that contract to benefit households already positioned to save and bequeath wealth to their children.”
“Addressing inequities in poverty and wealth demands vehicles that improve economic security by reducing racial disparities, boosting the wages and incomes of working families, and supporting the basic needs of low-income families through publicly funded social programs like SNAP and Medicaid,” he added. “Families should not depend on the charitable contributions of billionaires in search of tax write-offs.”
Newsweek
February 2, 2026