August 27, 2026
A Review of the Wide Variation Across States in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Benefit Funding
Abstract Federal lawmakers created major temporary unemployment benefit programs during the pandemic, which collectively distributed…
August 20, 2026
Wisconsin Childcare Subsidies, Regulations Fail for Families
Executive summary While parents play the most important role in early childhood development, having reliable and…
July 29, 2026
Comment on CMS-2454-IFC: Clarifying “Household” for the SNAP Exclusion from the Medicaid Community Engagement Requirement
Comment on Interim Final Rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of…
July 9, 2026
How to Strengthen the Climb From the Safety Net
Executive summary Wisconsin has long benefited from low poverty rates and relatively high labor force…
December 2, 2025
Stranded by the Safety Net: How to Fix the Benefit Cliff Problem
October 30, 2024
A Reform Framework for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
October 23, 2024
Work Requirement Waivers Increased FoodShare Caseloads and Costs in Wisconsin
At the time this report was prepared, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program limited benefits for able-bodied adults without dependent children to three months out of a three-year period unless they worked or participated in qualifying activities for at least 80 hours per month. This report argues that frequent waivers of this requirement in Wisconsin weakened its implementation and increased program participation. Analysis of FoodShare data from 2012 to 2023 suggests that waiving the requirement increased participation by roughly 780 adults per county per month, or about 56,000 additional recipients statewide, and increased program spending. Expanded participation among work-capable adults is associated with lower employment and greater reliance on government assistance.
March 28, 2024
An Early Look at the Child Tax Credit Changes in the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024
The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 would expand the child tax credit by increasing the refundable credit, indexing the maximum benefit to inflation, raising the phase-in rate for families with multiple children, and allowing a one-year earnings lookback.