Update 605 — Consumer Finance:Chopra’s Reform Agenda at CFPB The nation’s consumers — aided by robust fiscal stimulus — have been the driving force of economic recovery from the pandemic recession. This is a teachable moment for advocates of consumer protection, where progressive priorities have a greater chance of fruition than most economic policy agenda …
Update 604 — Legislative High Season:100-Day Roadmap for Econ. Policy Bills Congress settles back after recess this week, facing a packed to-do list and a ticking clock. The appropriations process for FY2023 is under way. Again, Democrats’ immediate priority is reconciliation. Negotiations with Sen. Manchin focus now on climate and health provisions, but we saw …
Update 603 — Tax as a Class Act:Code’s Impact on Income Inequality This past Monday marked the end of tax filing season for 2022. Average Americans again find themselves paying a higher rate than wealthier filers. OMB estimates that the 400 wealthiest Americans pay an average tax rate of only 8.2 percent, widening inequality. Paying a higher tax …
Update 602 — Symptom vs. Disease:Fighting Inflation by Relieving Costs There is a difference between battling inflation, which is the Fed’s errand, and battling its effects, which is more of a fool’s errand. With prices up 8.5 percent from a year ago and midterm primary season starting next month, the temptation is to focus on easing costs …
Update 601 — Degrees of Debt:Decision Ahead on Student Loans The CPI Report for March, released yesterday, showed prices rose by 8.5 percent during the last 12 months. Energy prices moderated markedly during March. Some predict this will represent the high-water mark of an inflation rate that will remain elevated through the fall. The Biden …
Update 600 — MOC Stock Trading:Public Trust and the Public Interest Voters say, overwhelmingly, that members of Congress should be banned from trading stocks while in office, as MOCs receive privileged and tradable information that average Americans don’t. The policies currently in place to provide transparency regarding MOC stock trading get inadequate compliance and provide penalties that don’t deter insider …
Update 599 — Eyes on the Pump Price:Energy Costs and Biden’s Inflation Fight Hearings on the Hill this week focused on elevated gas prices Americans are facing at the pump, causing and affecting elevated energy prices amounting to a third of headline inflation. President Biden has taken up the battle against inflation. Some responses he has …
Update 598 — The Joke That’s on U.S.Tax Prep Making Taxpayers April Fools The March jobs report BLS dropped this morning. The U.S. hiring spree continued in March, with employers adding 431,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6 percent from 3.8 in February. More jobs mean more people filing taxes, following a scramble by many to …
Update 597— Biden FY 23 Budget:Balance, Parity in Appeal to Center President Biden submitted his FY23 budget saying that budgets are statements of values. The statement here is muted, with an increase in domestic spending and an increase in military spending by about 10 percent, a puzzling nod to austerity of all things, investments in …
Update 596 — Arsenal of Democracy:Debating (How) America COMPETES The America COMPETES Act making its way through Congress could leave an indelible stamp on competitiveness, manufacturing, workforce provisions, and industrial policy generally. COMPETES provides overdue investments for the US to set standards for the global economy and to expand economic opportunities domestically. The bill rejects …
