COSM’s commentary page is home to timely analysis of pressing topics.
Last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their annual report detailing the prevalence of food insecurity in the United States. The report found that 13.5 percent of all US households are food insecure, or, in plain language, have “limited or uncertain access to adequate food”—a significant increase from…
September 27, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Thomas O'Rourke
Each year the USDA issues a closely-followed report on the extent of food insecurity in the United States. This year, the USDA reported 13.5 percent of US households were food insecure at some point in 2023, which was a statistically significant increase from the 2022 rate of 12.8 percent and…
September 24, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Craig Gundersen
Politicians, policy analysts, and advocates have proposed increasing the generosity of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), as a means of providing more resources to low-income families with children. Before deciding whether to expand the CTC and by how much, policymakers should be aware of existing tax and transfer policies that…
September 19, 2024 | By Kevin Corinth
Recently, GOP Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance said on Face the Nation “We should expand the child tax credit… I’d love to see a child tax credit that’s $5,000 per child.” He further proposed that the expanded credit be extended to “all American families,” emphasizing disparities in the availability of…
August 28, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Matt Weidinger
The latest in a series of important reports on social mobility by the research group Opportunity Insights is out, and it’s another conversation-changer. Across a variety of outcomes in adulthood and adolescence, the gap between black Americans who grew up with low-income parents and their white counterparts has narrowed over…
July 26, 2024 | By Richard V. Reeves and Scott Winship
Business Insider wrote in early 2023 that food banks are “bracing themselves for an onslaught” of increased demand. Later that year, Bloomberg reported that “lines stretch down the block at food banks.” And two months ago, CNN noted that the “share of people turning to hunger relief programs remains higher…
July 11, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Thomas O'Rourke
Every year, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases a report detailing the share of US households who are “food insecure”—defined as those that have “limited or uncertain access to adequate food” due to insufficient resources. Last month, the USDA released a report combining six years of data (2016-2021) to…
May 8, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Thomas O'Rourke
The House Agriculture Committee recently failed to pass an appropriations bill that would have authorized a pilot program to test whether nutrition-based restrictions in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could improve health outcomes for low-income households. This is just the latest rejection by Washington policymakers of proposals designed to…
March 21, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Thomas O'Rourke
One of the most controversial policies included in H. R. 7024, the “Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act” that passed the House on January 31, is a provision that would expand the “lookback” to determine eligibility for the child tax credit (CTC). Under current law, adults claiming the…
March 11, 2024 | By Angela Rachidi and Matt Weidinger
The United States Senate is currently debating H.R. 7024, a House-passed bill that would modify the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in several ways. One of the most consequential changes would increase the rate at which the refundable portion of the credit phases in, from the current 15% rate applied to…
March 4, 2024 | By Kevin Corinth
October 5, 2026 | Brent Orrell
AI in health care promises greater efficiency, but only if it balances the objective knowledge of the physician with the subjective wisdom of the patient.
October 4, 2026 | Angela Rachidi
Michigan has become an unlikely testing ground for debates over universal basic income programs. Since 2024, new mothers participating in Rx Kids can receive up to $7,500 in unconditional cash payments during pregnancy and throughout the first year after childbirth. Supporters of such programs should expect meaningful improvements in the...
October 2, 2026 | Arthur Gailes and Brad Wilcox
From right and left, we keep hearing how hard it is to afford a home. “A lot of young people are saying, ‘Housing is way too expensive,'” Vice President JD Vance has said. He blamed illegal immigration and a failure to build “enough new houses to begin with, even for...
October 1, 2026 | Kevin Corinth
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released an ad this week about “Brad,” a fictional character who “has turned relaxing into a full-time profession,” that is, snacking in front of the television and playing video games. In the ad, Governor Sanders suggests that it is unfair to ask hardworking taxpayers to...