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Joint Economic Committee Democrats Chairman - Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Publications

Jan 11 2018

Consumer Corner: A Look at Rising Household Debt

Welcome to the first edition of Consumer Corner—a new blog series focused on consumer issues. In this post, we focus on household and consumer debt: what is it; how much is out there; who are the major regulators and interested parties?

Jan 11 2018

Expanding Opportunities Through Middle-Skills Education

Expanding education opportunities and increasing quality are not only good for workers and their families, but are also good for communities and the economy as a whole. Investing in proven middle-skills pathways will enhance the skills of America’s workforce, boost U.S.competitiveness, and prepare a new generation of American workers for labor market success. By scaling up these programs, regional and local communities can effectively shape the workforce to meet the needs of employers while advancing opportunities for prosperity for workers.

Jan 08 2018

Average Monthly Jobs Gains in 2017 Lowest Since 2010

President Trump has regularly touted 2017 employment gains as signs that he is making America great again. The truth is that the labor market in 2017 mostly continued down the path that it had been on since well before he took office. The American job market has been slowly and steadily improving since the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In fact, average monthly job growth under President Trump has actually slowed and is at its lowest level since 2010.

Jan 05 2018

President Trump Job Tracker December 2017

Joint Economic Committee Democratic staff are comparing job growth each month to the average in the late 1990s (a boom time in the economy), but also to the best individual month each series has ever seen.

Jan 03 2018

The Federal Safety Net Lifted 11 Million Children out of Poverty in 2016

The federal safety net lifted nearly 11 million children out of poverty in 2016—led by refundable tax credits raising 4.4 million children out of poverty, SNAP and Social Security 1.5 million children each, and housing subsidies 1 million children. Poverty leads to worse health outcomes, developmental delays, and poor academic outcomes for affected children, all of which have lifelong effects. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders intend to target many of these successful programs for cuts in 2018.

Jan 03 2018

December Economic Snapshot of the States

Although the U.S. economy overall continues its expansion following the Great Recession and associated financial crisis, the recovery can look very different from state to state. The lion’s share of economic gains are not only concentrated at the top of the income and wealth distribution, but also in a small share of regions. While some parts of the country have surged ahead, millions of Americans in urban and rural communities are still waiting for their wages to start rising again and struggling to make ends meet.

Dec 20 2017

Worst of 2017: How Republicans Stacked the Deck Against Working Families

This year has turned out to be a rough one for working Americans. In his first year in office, President Trump and Congressional Republicans hurt workers’ pay and benefits, rolled back consumer financial protections, targeted public lands for commercial development, and attempted to strip health care coverage from millions of Americans. Just one year into the Trump presidency and already the harm to people, communities, and the environment is considerable.

Dec 18 2017

Republican Tax Cuts Will Mostly Go to Wealthy

Despite claims that the Republican tax cuts are aimed at working families, wealthy owners of pass-through businesses (such as partners in large law firms and hedge funds) will see substantially more benefits than workers. In 2019, primarily-wage workers in the bottom 20 percent of earners would average a $40 tax cut. This contrasts with an average tax cut of $87,000 for pass-through owners in the top one percent. Because of the windfall that high-earners will see by becoming a pass-through, many more will seek to use the pass-through loophole in the future—eroding tax revenues and worsening income inequality.