Media clips

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• Adam Schleifer Unveils Progressive Tax Policy To Boost NY-17

  Schleifer’s plan would repeal the Trump tax breaks that unfairly benefit the wealthiest of Americans, restore tax rates to their prior levels, and create two new tax brackets for high-income earners. These brackets would include a 40 percent marginal tax rate on those making over $1 million in a year and a 42 percent marginal rate on Americans making over $2 million in a year. Schleifer notes that Americans do not feel that they have benefited from Trump tax cuts generally. A recent poll found only about 40 percent of Americans approved of the cut while 49 percent disapproved. Unsurprisingly, the Economic Policy Institute estimated that the bill increased the average worker’s wages by only about 2 cents per hour.

  Patch May 14, 2020
• Lost health insurance? COBRA’s an option, but it isn’t cheap

  The Economic Policy Institute recently estimated that nearly 13 million laid-off workers have lost their employer-provided health insurance.

  Marketplace May 14, 2020
• Biden Must Let a More Progressive Democratic Party Emerge

  The same goes for a task force on the economy cochaired by Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, who is an essential advocate for labor rights, and Representative Karen Bass, the Congressional Black Caucus chair and Congressional Progressive Caucus member whose name has appeared on lists of vice presidential prospects. The committee’s potential is enhanced by Jared Bernstein, an Economic Policy Institute veteran who served as deputy chief economist for the Department of Labor under Labor Secretary Robert Reich and as Vice President Biden’s chief economist and economic policy adviser, and by Stony Brook University economics professor Stephanie Kelton, an adviser to the 2016 Sanders campaign who served as chief economist for the Democratic minority staff of the Senate Budget Committee and is a savvy critic of austerity.

  The Nation May 14, 2020
• Coronavirus fallout hits tech employment, job losses mount

  The jobs report reflected the week of April 12 and since then there’s been millions of job losses, said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, in an interview with CIO Dive.

  While the unemployment rate hit almost 15% in April, data from unemployment claims suggests it could reach 20%, Gould said.

  But April marks the likely peak of monthly job losses. While Gould “would be surprised” if other months reached April numbers, losing another 5 million to 10 million jobs is significant.

  For example professional business services, including lawyers and accountants, support other sectors. If demand drops off, job losses could impact those job roles, according to Gould.

  CIO Dive May 14, 2020
• Coronavirus, Farmworkers And America’s Food Supply

  Daniel Costa, the director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute, put it this way: “Conditions are ripe for a massive outbreak. It should be the kind of thing that keeps people up at night.”

  NPR May 14, 2020
• COVID Stimulus Can’t Save Manufacturing, Restaurant Sectors: Economists

  “This is so deep and so dramatic, it’s just hitting everywhere,” said Heidi Shierholz, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “Nothing is being spared. The pace of this is incredible.”

  Insurance News Net May 14, 2020
• Why millions of Americans are losing health coverage during COVID-19 pandemic

  That follows similar findings from the Economic Policy Institute and Urban Institute that suggest at least seven million people will be left without coverage.

  CBC May 14, 2020
• Democratic Plan Would Give Workers More Time To File Legal Claims Due To Pandemic

  The Democratic proposal has the backing of left-leaning groups such as the National Employment Law Project, the Economic Policy Institute and the National Women’s Law Center, along with the National Employment Lawyers Association. It is certain to draw pushback from employer-friendly Republicans who want to limit workers’ legal recourse, and faces dim prospects in the GOP-controlled Senate.

  Huffington Post May 14, 2020
• $1 Trillion For State And Local Budgets To Curb COVID Recession

  But isn’t the Democratic ask for $1 trillion for state and local budget assistance excessive?  Actually, it is right on target, based on some of the best research and projections we have.  Economist Timothy J. Bartik of the W.E. Upjohn Institute now estimates state and local needs through the end of 2021 at $959 billion. And Economic Policy Institute economist Josh Bivens argues that unemployment and slow state revenues will likely persist beyond 2021, so “federal aid should continue so long as economic conditions warrant, and not be set by arbitrary timelines.”

  Forbes May 14, 2020
• They Lost Their Jobs. Now They May Have to Leave the U.S.

  There are about 500,000 people on H-1B visas in the United States, according to estimates by Daniel Costa, a researcher at the Economic Policy Institute. More than 70 percent of them are Indians, and many of them technology workers. About 220,000 people were enrolled in the 2018-19 academic year in the Optional Practical Training program, which allows foreign students to work after completing their studies.

  The New York Times May 14, 2020