Kids could be the budget bill’s big winners — or losers

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are poised to channel historic investments into programs for kids — if they can navigate around competing demands, particularly from programs for seniors, as they slim down the massive public investment and social safety net bill now under intense negotiation on Capitol Hill. The […] Read more »

What’s in Democrats’ Build Back Better plan? A lot of Americans don’t know

While congressional Democrats negotiate within their ranks over the “Build Back Better” plan, the public is more likely to have heard about what it would cost than about the specific policies that would be in it. Despite the popularity, in principle, of these program ideas, some of the very popular […] Read more »

Analysis of Polls Finds Majorities Support 28 Proposals in Budget Reconciliation Plan

In a comprehensive analysis of polls on major proposals in the proposed reconciliation budget—related to health care, the environment, education, safety net programs and more—all 28 receive majority support, in most cases large majorities. For all proposals, this includes majorities of Democrats and independents. Among Republicans, majorities support 14 of […] Read more »

As the Pandemic Eases, What Is the State of Health Care Coverage and Affordability in the U.S.?

To shore up an economy and health system battered during the COVID-19-induced recession, the U.S. Congress passed four major relief bills in 2020 and 2021. The Biden administration also made a number of administrative changes, including some aimed at helping people enroll in health insurance coverage. After a year of […] Read more »

The racist ‘replacement theory’ has it all backward

Far right White supremacist groups, conservative media personalities and now Republicans in Congress are trying to inflame nativist feelings among conservative Whites by warning that liberals want immigrants to “replace” native-born Americans in the nation’s culture and electorate. But that racist “replacement theory” inverts the real consequence of immigration for […] Read more »