Media clips

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• Portland voters set to decide on minimum wage hike

  Paywall.

  Portland Press Herald October 31, 2025
• Human Interest Accuses Guideline of Corporate Espionage

  In September, Monique Morrissey, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, told PLANSPONSOR that the limitation of investing Trump Account funds into U.S. equities goes against traditional investment advice that prioritizes diversification. While she praised the creation of the accounts for its potential to introduce more families to investing, she warned that limiting the investments would be detrimental.  

  “The accounts seem to be designed to make people fixate on the stock market,” she said. “They’re designed to make people see U.S. stocks as the most important thing in the economy, even as—ironically—the stock market represents a shrinking share of the overall economy.” 

  PlanSponsor October 31, 2025
• Employment and Health Care Take Center Stage in Virginia Governor’s Race

  Virginia’s search for a governor comes at a tumultuous time for the state. It’s been hit especially hard by the federal government shutdown and the slashing of federal jobs. Black Americans are about 26% of the federal workforce in Virginia, according to the Economic Policy Institute, and account for approximately 18% of the total state population, making Virginia one of the states with the highest Black populations.

  Capital B October 31, 2025
• November 3, 2025
  October 29, 2025
• An ag downturn is dragging down Iowa manufacturing. But it’s not the sector’s biggest worry

  …share of the workforce, estimated at more than 37% in a 2020 Economic Policy Institute study. The other problem is age. [Paywall]. 

  Des Moines Register October 29, 2025
• The SNAP Shutdown And America’s Working Hungry

  Paywall. 

  Forbes October 29, 2025
• Trump’s ‘no tax on tips’ promise is falling flat with Las Vegas workers — experts even brand the law as ‘misleading.’ Is it all smoke and mirrors?

  “If there’s some level of ultimate take-home pay that workers know they will accept to take a job, or to stay in a job … the wages needed to meet that level will have just gone down,” Economic Policy Institute president Heidi Shierholz told PBS [6].

  MoneyWise October 29, 2025
• Is Walmart Closing On November 1st? The Retailer Faces $2 Billion Loss As SNAP Payments Freeze Amid Government Shutdown

  smael Martinez, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, told Newsweek that even a brief pause in payments could cause widespread “economic pain,” as SNAP plays a crucial role in supporting economically vulnerable families, children, and the broader economy.

  “SNAP benefits make up about 8 percent of all retail spending on groceries–even a short interruption of this spending could lead to layoffs or other painful adjustments in this sector,” Martinez said, per Newsweek.

  Afrotech October 29, 2025
• Local employers brace for 2026 minimum wage increase

  Labor advocates argue that raising the minimum wage is necessary given Connecticut’s high cost of living. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a living wage for a single adult with one child in Connecticut exceeds $36 per hour, well above the new minimum.

  The Lakeville Journal (Connecticut) October 29, 2025
• In Their Own Words: Black Workers Reflect on Federal Service Amid Shutdown

  The uncertainty within the federal government may also be contributing to the growing Black unemployment rate, according to a New York Times analysis. Over the past several months, the Black unemployment rate has climbed from 6% to 7%, while the white unemployment rate has dipped slightly to 3.7%.

  “I think the speed at which things have changed, in such a dramatic fashion, is out of the ordinary,” Valerie Wilson, the director of the program on race, ethnicity, and the economy at the Economic Policy Institute, told the news organization. “There’s been such a rapid shift in policy, rather than something cyclical or structural about the economy.”

  Capital B October 29, 2025