If rules are included so this investment is also spent in America — so that the actual physical material of our infrastructure is American-made — Iowa alone could see more than 21,000 new jobs in construction and fabrication, according to a new paper from the Economic Policy Institute. And that doesn’t account for the downstream effects an infrastructure program would cause when newly hired construction and factory workers buy cars, groceries, and other things around town.
Des Moines Register
November 5, 2020
Economists say other relief policies have proved more effective at boosting the economy. For instance, an extra $600 in weekly unemployment pay helped bolster households that had suffered job or income losses — until it expired in July. In May alone, the program boosted personal income by $842 billion, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
CBS News
November 5, 2020
According to the Economic Policy Institute 300, the average retirement savings of Americans ages 32 to 37 was $32,602 as of 2016. It should ideally be closer to $67,000.
This figure increases dramatically for savers in their late 30s and early 40s. At this point, the average retirement savings grows to $61,933 among Americans ages 38 to 43.6
The Balance
November 4, 2020
According to a recent Economic Policy Institute (EPI) study, K-12 districts across the US are facing a $1 trillion shortfall by the end of 2021. The sharp decline in state and local tax revenue comes in the aftermath of decades of systematic disinvestment in public education. State and local funding constitutes the majority source of K-12 public school budgets in the US.
World Socialist Website
November 4, 2020
The latest decision to nix the agency’s previous lottery-based method of selecting visa petitions is an attempt to address an issue that observers of the H-1B program have previously highlighted. That is, the H-1B program’s prevailing wage levels mean workers can hire foreign talent at prices that are “significantly lower” than local median salaries for certain occupations, according to a May analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. The organization found, for instance, that three-fifths of 2019 H-1B jobs were certified at the two lowest prevailing wage levels.
HR Dive
November 4, 2020
Whenever a minimum-wage increase is put to voters to decide, it passes, says David Cooper, senior analyst at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The results in Florida, where the $15 wage floor passed with nearly 61% of the vote, “signals to federal lawmakers that this is an issue that they can’t ignore,” Cooper adds.
Quartz
November 4, 2020
Economists appear just as split on increasing the minimum wage as politicians. An open letter published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) was signed by more than 40 economists supporting an increase of the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, noting that it would benefit about 28.1 million workers in the U.S.
The Hill
November 4, 2020
The Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan economic thinktank, asserts that gradually raising the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, similar to Amendment 2, would be “good for workers, businesses and the economy.” It states that a $15 minimum wage can bridge the widening gap between low-earners and the middle class and help address the racial wealth gap, without a negative impact on jobs.
Forbes
November 4, 2020
Twenty-nine states have set their rates higher than the federal minimum – all the way up to $13.50 in Washington. And some cities have set their minimum wage above their state’s floor. The large differences make efforts to statistically characterize minimum wage earners across the nation “thorny,” according to David Cooper, a senior economic analyst at left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
The campaign also sent us research from the Economic Policy Institute that undermines Spanberger’s claim. EPI estimates 33.5 million people from all states would get raises if the federal minimum wage was lifted $15 in 2024. That includes 7.8 million moms – or 23% of the beneficiaries.
Interview with David Cooper, senior economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, Oct.26, 2020.
Economic Policy Institute, “Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 would lift wages for over 33 million workers,” July 17, 2019.
EPI, “Congress could help nearly 8 million working moms this Mother’s Day if it raised the federal minimum wage,” May 10, 2019.
VPM
November 4, 2020
A three-page letter from Valley Central School District Superintendent John Xanthis strongly opposes giving companies, especially multibillion dollar companies, “egregious long-term tax abatements that unfairly burdens and take advantage of the local taxpayers and residents.” His letter cites findings of a report from the Economic Policy Institute on the effects of Amazon Fulfillment Centers on the local economy, which shows “tax incentives likely constitute an unneeded giveaway” and investments in public services are more effective than tax incentives at generating long-term economic growth.
Record Online
November 4, 2020