May 13, 2025
Common-Sense SNAP Reforms Included in House Agriculture Reconciliation Proposal
The House Agriculture committee released budget reconciliation text this week and scheduled a full committee markup. As part of the budget framework passed earlier this year, the Agriculture Committee was tasked with identifying cuts of $230 billion over 10 years. Nutrition programs account for the bulk of spending under the committee’s jurisdiction, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)…
May 12, 2025
To Improve Student Outcomes, Focus On Classroom Practice, Not Policy
Last week, I had the privilege of delivering keynote remarks at Marquette University Law School’s Lubar Center for a conference focused on redirecting K-12 education reform toward classroom teaching. Inspired by my recent Marquette Today piece, the event—hosted in collaboration with the College of Education—brought together educators, researchers, and policymakers to discuss how improving classroom practice…
May 7, 2025
Colleges Must Help Return Student Borrowers to Repayment
The four-year pause on student loan payments has left behind an alarming fallout: Millions of student borrowers, having disengaged from the student loan system, are not making payments on their debts. Now, the Education Department is asking for help from colleges to get borrowers paying their loans again. On Monday, the Department issued a Dear Colleague Letter to…
May 7, 2025
Workforce Participation for Older Americans: Warning Lights Flashing
Over the past generation, the work trends for older Americans were one of the bright spots in an otherwise decidedly mixed labor force picture. But that is no longer the case. Both employment and labor force participation rates (LFPRs) for the 55-plus contingent in the American workforce fell sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic—but mysteriously, and…
May 6, 2025
What DOGE Flagged as Unemployment Fraud Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg—Most of Which Will Never Be Recovered
The Department of Government Efficiency recently spotlighted unemployment benefits paid to tens of thousands of individuals whose reported birthdates indicated they were either children or dead. One claimant’s birthdate even suggested he or she hadn’t been born yet. As Elon Musk said, “Your tax dollars were going to pay fraudulent unemployment claims for fake people born in the future!” The $382 million DOGE identified that taxpayers lost on the associated improper payments is real money. But it’s also just…
April 28, 2025
House Republicans’ Proposed Repayment Plan Fixes Vexing Student Loan Problem
Congressional Republicans are undertaking a massive budget reconciliation effort involving significant reforms to the federal student loan system. House Republicans introduced their proposal on Monday, which would sweep away the maze of nearly a dozen different loan repayment plans and create just two: a standard repayment plan and an entirely new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. In addition…
April 24, 2025
AI “Slop” Comes for Job Interviews
We have all gotten used to the idea that generative AI can help bad writers become better (or at least appear to be better) than they are when left to their own skills. This has resulted in some challenges for hiring managers struggling to cope with the tsunami of applications and cover letters that make…
April 24, 2025
In Opposing Last Month’s Continuing Resolution, Nearly All Democrats Voted to Shut Down Welfare Checks, Too
The Continuing Resolution (CR) Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed in March reflected a reversal of recent partisan roles on legislation preventing a government shutdown. That is, contrary to recent type, nearly all Democrats cast votes that would have shut down the federal government while Republicans overwhelmingly voted to keep it open. But that wasn’t the…
April 21, 2025
The City That’s Always Working
Among the sectors of the US economy most exposed to AI-driven automation is finance. This is unsurprising given that banking and financial advising are massive knowledge management operations, constantly scanning the globe—like the Eye of Sauron—for opportunities and risks. One of the main applications of AI in the finance sector is helping firms understand themselves,…
April 17, 2025
Turn Public Service Loan Forgiveness into a State Block Grant
As Congress negotiates a bill to overhaul the federal budget, lawmakers looking to save money should note $30 billion in potential savings hiding in plain sight. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which fully discharges the student loans of borrowers who work for the government or a nonprofit for 10 years, is one of…