There is important good news for low-income people in the FY 2016 omnibus appropriations bill and tax cut package heading for votes in Congress in the next few days. Perhaps most important, improvements that allow tax credits for working families and college students to reach more poor and near-poor people were…
Archives: Voices
Webinar: $2 a Day – Living on Almost Nothing in America
Join us for a free webinar with the authors of the book $2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, in conversation with people who have been so deeply poor. Tuesday, December 22, 2015, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET This special webinar will feature authors Kathryn Edin and Luke Shaefer, whose book $2…
U.S. Jobs Growing, But Most Will Pay $15 or Less
This post was originally published by the San Francisco Chronicle on December 13, 2015. The federal government issued new projections last week about the kinds of jobs that will be created over the next decade — and the news is not good for many of us. Sadly, the picture threw…
Fact of the Week: SNAP Kids Are Nearly 20 Percent More Likely to Graduate High School
Economists Recognize SNAP’s Importance for Economic Success A new report released this week by the White House Council of Economic Advisers shows that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is highly effective in reducing food insecurity and is critical for low-income families. The good outcomes…
Rider-ing Their Way to Reelection
https://www.facebook.com/144519585571873/photos/a.385759741447855.99027.144519585571873/1059747964049026/?type=3&permPage=1 By the end of the week Congress needs to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. Even if a one-week funding bill is needed to buy more time for final negotiations, the proposed solution for the rest of the fiscal year is an omnibus package that will represent…
Attacking Protections for American Workers
American workers are the backbone of our economy; they keep our country and our society running. Yet some members of Congress want to chip away at federal rules that protect hard-working Americans. If you saw our posts from last week, you likely noticed we’re focusing a lot lately on the…
Consumer Protections in Danger during the Season of Consumerism
During this holiday season, business will be booming. Companies, both on the street and online, will be catering to millions of customers spending billions of dollars. And it’s not just traditional retailers who will be getting in on the act. Banks will supply loans to help you get end-of-year deals…
Anti-refugee Proposals Damage America
Editor’s Note: Making Syrian and Iraqi refugees hostages to the politics of the must-pass federal appropriations bill is a serious moral issue to us. Take a look at this excellent piece by CLASP’s Executive Director Olivia Golden, who brings first-hand experience to this topic. It was originally published online in…
The Story of Christmas
With the holiday season upon us and the majority of the nation looking forward to celebrating Christmas, Congress still has some business it must take care of before they can go home to family, friends and fundraisers. In a little over a week the government will run out of funding…
A Clean Spending Package, or an Ugly Christmas Tree?
With Thanksgiving barely over, many Americans turned their attention immediately to Christmas. A less-than-scientific poll (my personal Facebook feed) showed that lots of friends went to their local Christmas tree lot in the days following Thanksgiving and spent time over the weekend hanging lights, ornaments, and garlands on their trees….
10 Things We’re Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Gathering with friends and family. Packed roads and airports. Turkey with all the trimmings. Thanksgiving is upon us once again. In this time of bounty, we are mindful of course of the millions who can’t afford a big feast or a warm home in which to host it. And we’ll…
Congress: Don’t Leave ANY Working Families Behind
There’s been a lot of terrible anti-refugee and anti-immigrant sentiments from some pretty high-up sources lately – governors, members of Congress, even Presidential candidates. There’s been harmful anti-refugee legislation – like the House bill to stall and disrupt refugee screening for resettlement in the U.S., and anti-immigration legislation, like a…