October 28, 2025
Suspending SNAP Benefits in November Could Push 2.9 Million People Into Poverty
The ongoing federal government shutdown has put into question whether the federal government will continue…
July 30, 2025
It’s Not Surprising That No-Strings Attached Cash Didn’t Help Kids
A recent study put to the test an idea that has become increasingly influential over the past…
May 29, 2025
How Non-disabled Medicaid Recipients Without Children Spend Their Time
The reconciliation bill passed by the United States House of Representatives imposes community engagement requirements…
April 9, 2025
Trump’s Tariff Formula Is Still Wrong. Maybe That’s Why No One Will Admit They Created It.
Last Friday, we showed that the Trump Administration’s tariff formula contained an error that made…
April 4, 2025
President Trump’s Tariff Formula Makes No Economic Sense. It’s Also Based on an Error.
President Trump on Wednesday announced tariffs on practically every foreign country (and some non-countries), ranging…
March 13, 2025
Two Charts Show Why a Trade War Over Fentanyl Doesn’t Make Sense
Following a month-long pause, President Trump last week reimposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, only to pause…
February 28, 2025
Less Than Half of Medicaid Recipients Work Enough to Comply With a Work Requirement
Congress is considering implementing work requirements for Medicaid. This reform could help Congress achieve its…
February 4, 2025
The Family First Act Would Expand Net Income Tax Refunds to Higher Income Families
Some pro-family conservatives are rallying around Rep. Blake Moore’s (R-UT) Family First Act. Relative to a clean extension…
October 18, 2024
Pro-Marriage Conservatives Should Reject a Per-Child Phase-In of the Child Tax Credit
Earlier this week, scholars from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Niskanen Center, and…
July 23, 2024
New Study Exposes the Problem with Unconditional Aid
A randomized, controlled trial providing low-income families with $12,000 annually found that the share of recipients working declined by 2 percentage points. This finding is consistent with previous research on lottery winnings and expanded child tax credit payments that similarly finds reductions in earnings or employment in response to cash transfers. A nationwide universal basic income would be prohibitively expensive and likely reduce work effort. Policies that phased out benefits as income rose would lower costs but impose implicit penalties on additional earnings, which research suggests would further reduce employment.
April 9, 2024
The Child Tax Credit: My Long-Read Q&A with Kevin Corinth
The Child Tax Credit is a tax benefit available to many American families for the purpose of…
February 7, 2024
Child Tax Credit Bill Would Increase Marriage Penalties for Working Single Mothers
H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, was passed…