Economic Policy Institute
@epi.org
We're a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank using the tools of economics to defend & promote workers' interests in economic policy discussions.
epi.org
Podcast: epi.org/podcast/
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Federal Policy Watch: epi.org/policywatch
epi.org
Podcast: epi.org/podcast/
Newsletter: epi.org/signup/
Federal Policy Watch: epi.org/policywatch
Reposted by Economic Policy Institute
Among women, the unemployment rise has been SHARPEST for Black women according to Dr. Valerie Wilson @epi.org. This is #TheDoubleTax.
January 9, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Among women, the unemployment rise has been SHARPEST for Black women according to Dr. Valerie Wilson @epi.org. This is #TheDoubleTax.
The op-ed fantasizes that wages will simply rise with productivity, but in the real world, wages have trailed productivity growth.
Stronger labor market institutions
👉 like the minimum wage 👈
can help correct this.
Stronger labor market institutions
👉 like the minimum wage 👈
can help correct this.
The Productivity–Pay Gap
The huge gap between rising incomes at the top and stagnating pay for the rest of us shows that workers are no longer benefiting from their rising productivity. Before 1979, worker pay and productivit...
www.epi.org
January 7, 2026 at 11:24 PM
The op-ed fantasizes that wages will simply rise with productivity, but in the real world, wages have trailed productivity growth.
Stronger labor market institutions
👉 like the minimum wage 👈
can help correct this.
Stronger labor market institutions
👉 like the minimum wage 👈
can help correct this.
Concerns about minimum wage increases driving price increases are exaggerated: resulting price increase are very small, and way smaller than any wage increase because labor costs at low-wage establishments are just a fraction of total costs. irle.berkeley.edu/wp-content/u...
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January 7, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Concerns about minimum wage increases driving price increases are exaggerated: resulting price increase are very small, and way smaller than any wage increase because labor costs at low-wage establishments are just a fraction of total costs. irle.berkeley.edu/wp-content/u...
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We understand that this WSJ op-ed doesn't want the NYC minimum wage to rise to $17 per hour next year BUT a single person in the New York metro area needs an even higher wage to make ends meet.
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January 7, 2026 at 11:24 PM
We understand that this WSJ op-ed doesn't want the NYC minimum wage to rise to $17 per hour next year BUT a single person in the New York metro area needs an even higher wage to make ends meet.
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The overwhelming conclusion of economic research is that minimum wages to date have successfully raised the pay of low-wage workers. 2/
Most minimum wage studies have found little or no job loss
There is always a great deal of political heat around minimum wage increases, largely driven by concerns about job losses. After a minimum wage increase, the story goes, many employers will not be abl...
www.epi.org
January 7, 2026 at 11:24 PM
The overwhelming conclusion of economic research is that minimum wages to date have successfully raised the pay of low-wage workers. 2/
Trump Accounts distract from real solutions that lean on the functional power of wealth. They are NOT Baby Bonds, which are publicly funded and progressively seeded to narrow racial disparities in wealth.
Trump’s voluntary savings accounts will instead widen existing inequities.
Trump’s voluntary savings accounts will instead widen existing inequities.
January 6, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Trump Accounts distract from real solutions that lean on the functional power of wealth. They are NOT Baby Bonds, which are publicly funded and progressively seeded to narrow racial disparities in wealth.
Trump’s voluntary savings accounts will instead widen existing inequities.
Trump’s voluntary savings accounts will instead widen existing inequities.
Due to structural racism, less than half of Black and Hispanic adults with enough savings to cover 3 months of expenses in case of an emergency.
A savings vehicle without continued government support will only deepen existing inequities for poor families. 5/
A savings vehicle without continued government support will only deepen existing inequities for poor families. 5/
January 6, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Due to structural racism, less than half of Black and Hispanic adults with enough savings to cover 3 months of expenses in case of an emergency.
A savings vehicle without continued government support will only deepen existing inequities for poor families. 5/
A savings vehicle without continued government support will only deepen existing inequities for poor families. 5/
👉 Reducing child poverty will also require confronting the low-wage employment regime sustained by an inadequate wage floor.
About 67 million workers earn less than $25/hour, a threshold considerably lower than the hourly earnings of a typical worker had their pay kept pace with productivity.
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About 67 million workers earn less than $25/hour, a threshold considerably lower than the hourly earnings of a typical worker had their pay kept pace with productivity.
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January 6, 2026 at 9:24 PM
👉 Reducing child poverty will also require confronting the low-wage employment regime sustained by an inadequate wage floor.
About 67 million workers earn less than $25/hour, a threshold considerably lower than the hourly earnings of a typical worker had their pay kept pace with productivity.
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About 67 million workers earn less than $25/hour, a threshold considerably lower than the hourly earnings of a typical worker had their pay kept pace with productivity.
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Child poverty is a policy choice driven by a withering welfare state.
Child poverty is higher today than it was in 2019, and it is likely to worsen with major cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid the Trump-Vance administration signed into law last summer. 🤬
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Child poverty is higher today than it was in 2019, and it is likely to worsen with major cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid the Trump-Vance administration signed into law last summer. 🤬
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January 6, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Child poverty is a policy choice driven by a withering welfare state.
Child poverty is higher today than it was in 2019, and it is likely to worsen with major cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid the Trump-Vance administration signed into law last summer. 🤬
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Child poverty is higher today than it was in 2019, and it is likely to worsen with major cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid the Trump-Vance administration signed into law last summer. 🤬
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Child poverty is a defining feature of the U.S. economy.
Since ’09, child poverty has declined by less than 4 percentage points, leaving the US with the second-highest child poverty rate in the rich world. Child poverty is especially harmful to children of color in the US. 😡
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Since ’09, child poverty has declined by less than 4 percentage points, leaving the US with the second-highest child poverty rate in the rich world. Child poverty is especially harmful to children of color in the US. 😡
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January 6, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Child poverty is a defining feature of the U.S. economy.
Since ’09, child poverty has declined by less than 4 percentage points, leaving the US with the second-highest child poverty rate in the rich world. Child poverty is especially harmful to children of color in the US. 😡
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Since ’09, child poverty has declined by less than 4 percentage points, leaving the US with the second-highest child poverty rate in the rich world. Child poverty is especially harmful to children of color in the US. 😡
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Reposted by Economic Policy Institute
Heidi Shierholz from @epi.org nails it: "Affordability depends on both prices AND wages."
But the debate focuses almost entirely on prices, as if that's the only lever we have.
But the debate focuses almost entirely on prices, as if that's the only lever we have.
January 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Heidi Shierholz from @epi.org nails it: "Affordability depends on both prices AND wages."
But the debate focuses almost entirely on prices, as if that's the only lever we have.
But the debate focuses almost entirely on prices, as if that's the only lever we have.
And your most-read publication from EPI in 2025 makes sense because we all went from 0 to 60--then down to 15, and back up to 25, down to 2, up to 10, maybe full stop, but no, wait 50--because it's been a wild tariff ride this year.
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Tariffs—Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask
During his presidential campaign, President Trump pledged to impose universal tariffs of 10–60% on all U.S. imports—a whopping $4.2 trillion in goods and services purchased from abroad in 2024. This w...
www.epi.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:41 PM
And your most-read publication from EPI in 2025 makes sense because we all went from 0 to 60--then down to 15, and back up to 25, down to 2, up to 10, maybe full stop, but no, wait 50--because it's been a wild tariff ride this year.
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'No tax on tips' sounds great until you understand tipping's racist origins and we should just 👏 pay 👏 workers 👏.
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‘No tax on tips’ will harm more workers than it helps: Proposals in Congress and now 20 states could encourage harmful employer practices and lead to tip requests in virtually every consumer transacti...
When President Trump proposed exempting tipped income from taxation during his 2024 presidential campaign, many viewed it as a politically expedient gimmick to win support among tipped service workers...
www.epi.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:41 PM
'No tax on tips' sounds great until you understand tipping's racist origins and we should just 👏 pay 👏 workers 👏.
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#3 is about a campaign promise that hurts more than it helps.
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No tax on overtime is another gimmick that would do more harm than good
With Congressional Republicans having passed a budget resolution, one of the tax provisions certain to be discussed in federal budget deliberations will be President Trump’s expressed priority to exem...
www.epi.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:41 PM
#3 is about a campaign promise that hurts more than it helps.
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