September 25, 2024
The Costs of Inaction: Economic Risks from Housing Unaffordability
Chairman Whitehouse, Ranking Member Grassley, and committee members, thank you for the opportunity to testify on this most important topic. History offers a cautionary tale against inappropriate federal action in the housing market: From the 1930s to 2008, Congress passed and presidents signed into law at least 43 housing, urban renewal, and community development programs. Despite their lofty…
September 17, 2024
Back to School: Shedding Light on Risks and Harm in the Private Student Lending and Servicing Market
At present there are more than 1.74 trillion dollars in student loans outstanding in the US economy. This is a massive amount of money that represents serious liabilities for millions of borrowers across the United States who are grappling with the process of repayment. This massive amount of outstanding debt also represents a tremendous liability…
June 18, 2024
Answering Key Questions About Unemployment Insurance Reforms
Chairman LaHood, Ranking Member Davis, and members of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on potential improvements to the nation’s unemployment insurance (UI) system to better support American workers, businesses, and taxpayers. My name is Matt Weidinger, and I am a Rowe Scholar in poverty studies at the…
May 8, 2024
Correcting for Bias; How Public Radio Can Better Serve All Americans
Good morning. Thank you Chair Griffith and Ranking Member Cator. I’m Howard Husock, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. I also have a background in public broadcasting. I was honored to serve as member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and as a documentary film producer at Boston public…
March 7, 2024
Proven Results: Highlighting the Benefits of Charter Schools for Students and Families
In 2002, I became a fifth-grade teacher at the lowest-performing public school in the South Bronx, New York City’s lowest-performing school district. A mere 16 percent of PS 277 students could read at grade level. The first charter schools were just opening up in the neighborhood back then; there were virtually no alternatives to the…
October 24, 2023
Testimony: The Consequences of Redrawing the Poverty Line
Chairman Smith, Chairman LaHood, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished members of theSubcommittee on Work and Welfare, thank you for the opportunity to testify on povertymeasurement. My name is Kevin Corinth, and I am a Senior Fellow and the Deputy Director ofthe Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute. Thistestimony reflects my…
October 24, 2023
Testimony: Hearing on Measuring Poverty
Chairman Smith, Subcommittee Chairman LaHood, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Bruce Meyer, McCormick Foundation Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. My 40-year-long research agenda has focused on the accuracy of government data; I have served on multiple…
September 29, 2023
Solutions to Reduce Government Improper Payments Involving Unemployment Benefits
OverviewThe coronavirus pandemic tested the nation’s unemployment benefits system more than any prior recession. Not only did far more individuals file claims for weekly benefits than ever before, but lockdowns and mass layoffs concentrated those record claims starting in March 2020, creating an unprecedented surge in demand for benefits that quickly rose to an apparent…
September 21, 2023
Testimony | Spurring Innovation in Workforce Development: Program Governance and Service Delivery
Chairman Owens, Ranking Member Wilson, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank youfor the opportunity to present testimony on improvements Congress can make to the WorkforceInnovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Early in my career, I supported Governor Mike Leavittin negotiating and implementing the legislation that created the Utah Department of WorkforceServices, which still stands today as…