Update 397 — Democratic Debate in Atlanta:Will Candidates Tussle over Taxes and Trade? If you can tear yourself away from the limelight of the House impeachment hearings, we can move to the sublime light of the Democratic presidential debate, 9-11 pm ET tonight in Atlanta. Sans late entries Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. Deval Patrick, …
Update 396 — The Contrast is Striking:Workers Tell Tale of Two Labor Markets For those on the lookout for harbingers of recession — today’s New York and Atlanta Fed projections for startlingly low 4Q19 growth being the latest — the labor market presents a unique challenge. Unemployment is neither a leading nor lagging indicator. It spikes …
Update 395 — Fed Chair Powell Hits the Hill:Is it Time for a Third Mandate for the Fed? Fed Chair Jerome Powell testifies this week before the Joint Economic and House Budget Committees to discuss the overall economic outlook. His appearances give members of Congress the opportunity to ask what could and should the Fed …
Update 394 • Warren’s $20.5 Tr. M4A Pay-For:Revenue Neutral; No New Middle Class Taxes Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a plan to pay for her Medicare for All (M4A) proposal. Sen. Warren’s plan is to raise $20.5 trillion in revenue over ten years, raising no taxes on the middle class. The scope and size …
Update 393 — Tax Priorities and Possibilities:Congress’ 2019 Tax Dash; Warren’s 2020 Plan Today, Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a $20.5 trillion proposal consisting of revenue raisers to pay for her Medicare for All plan. The comprehensive proposal would make substantial changes to an array of tax titles, ruling out a direct tax increase on the …
Update 392: Progressive Strategy Summit 2019 Domestic Econ. Policy Consensus Emerge Last week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center and Progressive Caucus Action Fund hosted the Progressive Strategy Summit in Washington. The event brought together members of Congress, grassroots organizers, and policy and political strategists. Attended by over 500 people, the Summit reflected on progressive achievements …
Update 391 — Silver Lining on the Horizon(How) Do Automatic Stabilizers Really Work? Economists now speak of the next recession in terms of when, not whether. As the recession approaches ever closer, so too do increases in fiscal stimulus known as “automatic stabilizers,” such as unemployment insurance, representing a silver lining. How do these triggers …
Update 390 — Recessionary Indicators, Pt. 2What the Best 8-Balls Say about the Economy While much of the political world is preoccupied with constitutional concerns, the economy also continues to confound. Some indicators point to continued expansion, record low unemployment, and the stock market close to record highs. Others point ominously at the next recession …
Update 389 — Recessionary Indicators, Pt. 1What the Economic Tea Leaves Say Today Over the next two updates, we will look at macroeconomic indicators of the end of the current post-crisis expansion — leading vs. lagging, from coal mine canaries, to red herrings, to black swans. The political implications of an economic reversal of fortune …
Update 388 — 2020 Presidential Candidate Series;The Economic Agenda of Tom Steyer For our final presidential candidate update series, we look at the economic policy of billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer. He has emerged as far and away the most outspoken climate change advocate among remaining Democratic candidates. His campaign focuses on anti-corruption and reducing …
