EPI in the news

• Trump losing support on economic issues, Democrats surge to nine-point lead on generic ballot: poll

  Since the start of the Iran war, the inflation rate has risen. In January, the rate was 2.4 percent; following the start of the war, the rate spiked to a high of 4.2 percent in May. Since then, the inflation rate has settled in at about 3.4 percent.

  However, according to the Economic Policy Institute, wage growth has been about 3.1 percent. This means that, in real dollars, people are earning less and are having their buying power eroded.

  International Business Times | September 17, 2026
• Operation Education: Teacher pay in Michigan and how local schools compare

  The NEA report lists the minimum living wage for the state at $63,029 according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  WSBT | September 17, 2026
• Report Details How Trump Mass Deportation Agenda Is Fueling US Affordability Crisis

  The report cites projections from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) last year on what this could mean if the Trump administration meets its target of deporting 1 million people per year.

  Using data from previous immigration enforcement studies, the EPI estimated that nearly 6 million fewer people could be employed by the end of President Donald Trump’s second term if the administration follows through on its deportation promises. That includes 3.3 million immigrants, but also 2.6 million US-born workers, many of whom are working in immigrant-heavy sectors.

  Common Dreams | September 17, 2026
• Food insecurity in the D.C. area hits a new high

  Much of this, Mitchell said, is the consequence of federal decisions that have hit D.C. residents hard. That includes deep cuts to the federal workforce, an industry that employed over 13% of District residents as of March 2025, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The 2026 Hunger Report found that the D.C. metro area — which included Arlington and Alexandria — lost 104,000 jobs between January 2025 and January 2026, far more than any other major metropolitan area in the country. 

  51st News | September 17, 2026
• George Eastman Museum staffers move to unionize

  Earlier this month, workers said, they were called into a meeting held by Government Resources Consultants of America. That firm, according to filings to the U.S. Department of Labor, are generally hired to collect information on labor organizing activities, or to persuade staff against organizing. Labor organizations, like the Economic Policy Institute, refer to Government Resources Consultants of America, and organizations like it, as union-busters.

  WXXI (Rochester NY NPR) | September 17, 2026
• Census Reports Record Household Income in 2025—See How You Compare

  But the pay gap could change again if last year’s cuts to Medicaid and food assistance make it harder for families to find care for children and older relatives, or to keep the healthcare they need to keep working, said Ismael Cid-Martinez, an economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

  “I want to be careful about not making too much out of one year,” Cid-Martinez said.

  Investopedia | September 17, 2026
• Bernie Sanders says if AI is coming for workers, it should bring a four-day workweek with it

  Nearly nine decades later, Sanders argues that the standard has outlived the economy that it was built on. Since 1979, net productivity has climbed roughly 90% while typical workers’ hourly pay has risen about 33%, according to Economic Policy Institute data—a gap advocates for shorter workweeks cite as part of the broader case for reform. 

  Fortune | September 17, 2026

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