BEYOND THE NUMBERS
In Case You Missed It...
This week on Off the Charts, we focused on the federal budget and taxes, the safety net, housing, and state budgets and taxes.
- On the federal budget and taxes, we excerpted Jared Bernstein’s congressional testimony on the long-term debt. Chuck Marr praised Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray’s new proposal to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-wage workers not raising minor children. Paul Van de Water explained why three House bills to change the budget process are ill-advised.
- On the safety net, we excerpted Sharon Parrott’s commentary on why the EITC, while highly effective, isn’t a substitute for the safety net as a whole. Arloc Sherman pointed out that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s recent poverty report largely ignored anti-poverty programs’ long-term successes. Kathy Ruffing explained why Supplemental Security Income, which the Ryan report criticizes, should be strengthened, not cut.
- On housing, Douglas Rice highlighted a New York Times editorial calling on policymakers to restore vouchers lost due to sequestration.
- On state budgets and taxes, Michael Leachman listed five reasons why other states shouldn’t follow Kansas’ lead and enact massive tax cuts.
In other news, we issued a paper on lessons for other states from Kansas’ tax cuts, Jared Bernstein’s testimony on the federal debt, and Sharon Parrott’s commentary on why the EITC isn’t a safety net by itself. We also updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession and our backgrounder on where our state tax dollars go.
CBPP’s Chart of the Week:
A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:
Kansas Can’t Tax Cut Its Way to Prosperity
US News and World Report
March 27, 2014
Leading Senator Adds to Momentum for Helping Childless Workers
Huffington Post
March 26, 2014
