Media clips

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• The Big Beautiful Bill’s Murky Border Security Spending

  “It’s turbocharging the amount of funding for immigration enforcement,” Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the Economic Policy Institute, told The Dispatch. “The government spends about $30 billion a year on immigration enforcement. … Then you multiply that by five.”

  The Dispatch July 10, 2025
• The AI Talent Race Heats Up

  880,000: That’s how many Americans got a pay raise on July 1 as Alaska, Oregon, Washington, D.C. and 12 other cities and counties raised their minimum wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  Forbes July 9, 2025
• Tom Zirpoli: Republicans make their priorities clear

  I’ve always maintained that to understand the values of a political party, look at its budget proposals. Never has this been truer than in the past week when Republicans passed their new budget, endorsed by President Donald Trump.

  As Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute, stated, the Republican budget essentially dismisses any idea that the Republican Party is the party of the working class. [Paywall]. 

  Baltimore Sun July 9, 2025
• Trump Agriculture Chief Mocked for Suggesting Medicaid Recipients Could Replace Deported Farm Workers

  A report released earlier this year authored by Economic Policy Institute economist Hilary Wething also poked holes in the narrative that millions of “able-bodied adults without dependents” (“ABAWDs”) were sponging off the system.

  Common Dreams July 9, 2025
• NC officials look at childcare costs after federal funding cuts

  State economists estimate the average annual cost of childcare for two kids is nearly $20,000 — which is 25 percent higher than the average rent in North Carolina. The Economic Policy Institute of North Carolina says the yearly cost of childcare for an infant is more expensive than in-state tuition at UNC-Chapel Hill.

  WJZY July 9, 2025
• Idaho families struggle with high child care costs, report finds

  Child care in Idaho is among the biggest financial burdens for families, with costs exceeding college tuition and taking a significant bite out of household incomes, according to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute.

  Idaho County Free Press July 9, 2025
• Citing bus driver shortage, Arizona school district ends transportation for athletics

  The number of bus drivers around the nation has been decreasing for more than a decade. Ahead of the 2009 school year, approximately 290,000 bus drivers were employed by elementary and secondary schools across the country, according to the Economic Policy Institute. 

  USA Today High School Sports July 9, 2025
• Why American farmers rely on unauthorized workers

  Guests

  Daniel Costa, director of Immigration Law and Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute. Visiting Scholar at the Global Migration Center at UC Davis.

  WBUR On Point July 9, 2025
• The AI Talent Race Heats Up

  880,000: That’s how many Americans got a pay raise on July 1 as Alaska, Oregon, Washington, D.C. and 12 other cities and counties raised their minimum wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  Forbes July 9, 2025
• Tom Zirpoli: Republicans make their priorities clear

  I’ve always maintained that to understand the values of a political party, look at its budget proposals. Never has this been truer than in the past week when Republicans passed their new budget, endorsed by President Donald Trump.

  As Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute, stated, the Republican budget essentially dismisses any idea that the Republican Party is the party of the working class. [Paywall]. 

  Baltimore Sun July 9, 2025