Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

This week on Off the Charts, we examined why President Bush’s tax cuts for high-income households should expire, the importance of extending the TANF Emergency Fund, the state of state budgets, extending unemployment benefits, the nation’s long-term fiscal challenges, the estate tax, and the Food Stamp Program.

• On the Bush tax cuts, Chuck Marr highlighted a recent Center report showing why extending the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income households beyond their scheduled expiration at the end of this year is the least effective option for improving a weak economy.
• On the TANF Emergency Fund, Donna Pavetti explained how states are using it to create jobs and why they need an extension from Congress.
• On state budgets, Liz McNichol cleared up misconceptions about what state surpluses mean — and what they don’t.
• On unemployment, Chad Stone commented on the Senate’s passage of unemployment benefits and the effect this will have on jobless workers.
• On the federal deficit, Jim Horney explained the proper measure of the government’s debt that the President’s deficit commission should focus on.
• On the estate tax, Chuck Marr discussed the importance of restoring it at its 2009 level.
• On the Food Stamp Program, Dottie Rosenbaum explained that the program is becoming more efficient even as it serves a growing number of people.

In other news, the Center also updated backgrounder reports onthe Food Stamp Program and the unemployment insurance (UI) system.