In @nytimes.com, @hillaryclinton.bsky.social centers the affordability crisis and calls on policymakers to lead. We know what works: direct cash and tax credits like the #CTC and #EITC that put real cash back in people's pockets. The tools exist; it's time to scale them.

1/ Today, we released a new policy brief, "Ideas for Shared Economic Prosperity in the AI Transition," outlining concrete ideas for policymakers, researchers, and advocates to consider as we build toward an AI-powered economy that benefits us all. Let’s break down a few of them 🧵

In a new @nytimes.com op-ed, ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social breaks down how we can redirect FHLB lending towards multifamily construction, produce 200K new units a year, and get more Americans into homes – without any cost to taxpayers. Read more: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/o...

We teamed up with @economicsecurityproject.org to write "AI & Affordability in California," in which we look at how algorithmic rent-fixing, data center energy costs, and surveillance pricing are driving up costs for Californians—and the policy solutions that can help. techequity.us/2026/04/01/a...

Why does it seem like our day-to-day tech is actually getting… shittier? Cory Doctorow calls this phenomenon enshittification, and tech firms are doing it because they can—because we didn’t stop them. @eff.org @economicsecurityproject.org @consumercal.bsky.social

The next generation of California leaders will take office at the dawn of a new technological age. From jobs to justice, AI is transforming society, and its use is already creating profound consequences for us all. techequity.us/2026/01/21/5...

Did you know hundreds of millions of dollars in tax credits go unclaimed every year? Tax credits like the #CTC + #EITC put thousands back into families’ pockets, yet too many never receive what they qualify for. In LA County alone, nearly $500 million is left on the table each year. 1/

1) When we outsource what makes us human—our ability to think, learn, and love—to technology, that’s a political, economic, and spiritual collapse waiting to happen. @nataliefoster.bsky.social @economicsecurityproject.org

Why did tech firms "enshittify" their products? Because they can. We joined @techequity.bsky.social, @consumercal.bsky.social & @eff.org to talk with @doctorow.pluralistic.net on how market consolidation drives enshittification — making platforms worse for everyone but shareholders.

Today in SF: “AI Economy: who wins, who loses, and who decides” Inspiring chat between @chrismurphyct.bsky.social and @catherinebracy.com hosted by @techequity.bsky.social and @nataliefoster.bsky.social @economicsecurityproject.org Nice to hear a politician openly argue for breaking up big tech

Do you know how much the wage gap costs women every year? Nearly $14K. Enough to cover 3 months of groceries, 3 months of childcare, and 3 months of gas. And for Black, Latina, and Native American women, the gap is even bigger. #EqualPayDay

1/ Today is the 16th anniversary of the #AffordableCareAct, but instead of celebrating progress, millions of Americans are feeling the squeeze.

ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social joined The Majority Report to unpack why economic frustration remains high, even as unemployment stays low, inflation cools, and wages rise. 🔗 www.youtube.com/live/nxYhhO_...

“Wealthy people should pay a fairer share than they are paying now.” On @nytimes.com, @govpritzker.illinois.gov makes the case for tax fairness. In IL, that includes strengthening proven tools like the #ChildTaxCredit and #EarnedIncomeTaxCredit that put money directly back into people’s pockets.

In her closing remarks on the Open to Debate stage, Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, who debated alongside @c-hughes.bsky.social, makes the case for a better future of work—one where technology helps enable a more dignified future, where people have choice and upward mobility. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lij...

Grocery prices keep climbing — and when private stores shut their doors, communities are left with fewer options at even higher costs. Join ESIL’s Erion Malasi @localprogress.bsky.social on March 19 to explore what public grocery models could look like. Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social argues that as AI transforms the economy, the real question isn’t whether work will become obsolete — but whether we build policies that expand choice, opportunity, and dignity for all workers. The full Open to Debate discussion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lij...

"The more time that we spend focused on the siren song of a jobless, workless future is less time that we focus on the practical project of figuring out how to smooth the transition for the workers who will need our help the most." ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social on the Open to Debate stage.

What do the rich owe the rest of us? Join us at UC Berkeley on March 10 (4:00–5:30pm) for a conversation on taxation, inequality, and democracy featuring Brian Galle, Ray Madoff, Emmanuel Saez, and Vanessa Williamson, moderated by Aaron Horvath. More details and registration here:

ESP’s Mary Durden recently traveled to Colombia and India as part of a delegation organized by Dalberg and the Institute of International Education, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to learn how governments and communities in the Global South are reimagining care as a public good.

💡 A fresh brief from @economicsecurityproject.org shows what the evidence is actually telling us about guaranteed income (GI) and work — and it debunks common myths with real data from California’s pilots: economicsecurityproject.org/resource/gua...

Why does your savings account pay you almost nothing in interest, but your bank quietly earns billions from the Fed? ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social + Josh Younger argue in a new report that this isn't neutral 'central bank plumbing', it's a hidden subsidy to big banks, funded by taxpayers.

We’re hiring! 🚀 Join the Economic Security Illinois team as our Illinois Coalition & Campaigns Senior Manager and help turn bold ideas into real policy wins. Apply at economicsecurityproject.org/careers/

Grocery budgets are tighter. Health costs are rising. Families are scrambling. All to fund tax breaks for the rich and corporations. Tune in NOW to hear from working folks across the country break down the REAL state of the union. 🔗 www.youtube.com/@familiesove...

Today, 4 companies — Amazon, Netflix, Disney, and Max — control nearly 80% of the streaming market. And when that few players control that much of a market, they don't have to compete for your dollar anymore. They just raise prices. See how we got here and what it'll take to fix it 🧵👇🏼

Tonight, alongside @fobaction.bsky.social, we’re hosting a town hall centering the lived experiences of Americans squeezed by the worsening affordability crisis. RSVP here: bit.ly/4avZova 🎥 Or watch live at 6:30pm ET 🔗 www.youtube.com/@familiesove...

Congratulations to ESP board member Aisha Nyandoro, Founder and CEO of Springboard to Opportunities, on her 2026 Elevate Prize win. We are proud to celebrate this recognition and lucky to have her leadership in our movement. 🎉

Hidden junk fees cost Illinois families $3,200 a year. It’s time to end them. We applaud Gov. JB Pritzker for taking on the corporate greed that is nickel and diming working families and backing our proposal to ban these deceptive fees. economicsecurityproject.org/news/esca-hi...

“Affordability” is the word of the moment. Even as economic indicators show growth and cooling inflation, many Americans still struggle to afford the basics, leaving, as ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social puts it, “a little less left over to enjoy things.” 🔗 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

1/ At a recent webinar hosted by the Initiative for Policy Dialogue and @groundwork.bsky.social, ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social laid out the mounting economic risks ahead, including the impact of healthcare cuts, weakening job growth, and the uncertain effects of AI on workers. ⬇️

1/ “When the prices of necessities rise faster than everything else, when housing becomes mechanically harder to access, when planning gets more cognitively costly, and when borrowing is more expensive, welfare can fall even if average real incomes recover.” 🧵⬇️

With #ACA subsidies now expired and healthcare costs surging, many LGBTQ+ people and women are being forced into impossible choices: draining savings, delaying retirement, taking second jobs, or risking going uninsured altogether. @19thnews.org highlights a few of their stories ⬇️

1/ California leads the nation with 60+ #guaranteedincome pilots, and the data is clear: cash doesn't discourage work, it enables it. Participants got full-time jobs at DOUBLE the rate of control groups. 🧵⬇️

Teri Olle, VP at Economic Security California, underscores the urgent stakes of AI policy, asking who gets to decide what this technology means for people, and who it will serve. ✍️ @nathanheller.bsky.social in the @newyorker.com 🔗 www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

1/ If the economy is “doing well,” why are so many people still struggling? ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social joins The Jacob Shapiro Podcast to explain why topline economic indicators like cooling inflation or GDP often miss how people actually experience the economy. 🧵

When wholesale power prices spike like this, utility companies don’t absorb the cost. It gets passed on to consumers. That means even higher electricity bills for families and small businesses during extreme weather events.👇

President Trump’s sudden turn to affordability policies reflects a growing recognition that the admin's economic message isn’t landing. “They’re scrambling to find things to do," explains ESP's @mtkonczal.bsky.social. https://bit.ly/3YXHQmE

📅 Tax season opens TODAY!! 🧵Big wins don’t happen overnight. They’re built through years of organizing, coalition‑building, and centering the needs of families. ⬇️

Cancer patients forced to change doctors mid-treatment. Parents skipping birthday parties. Small business owners closing their doors. That’s the reality people shared in a @nytimes.com piece on rising #healthcare costs due to the expiration of #ACA subsidies.

President Trump's OBBBA slashed $1T from healthcare to fund tax breaks for billionaires. His new healthcare "plan" continues the attack on working families by letting premiums skyrocket while stripping protections from people. Americans need economic relief—not empty promises.

Congrats to ESP’s @harishipatel.bsky.social on his appointment to Illinois’ Employment Security Advisory Board by @govpritzker.illinois.gov. He'll work alongside labor, community, business, and policy leaders to make unemployment insurance more inclusive and responsive for workers and families.

One point I think is important is that even if SCOTUS and Republican Senators hold the line on Fed independence, Unitary Executive powers means Trump can de facto do monetary policy. e.g., he'll likely have control over bank regs and thus financial market conditions, an important monetary conduit.

ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social explains why President Trump’s escalating attacks on the Federal Reserve are about far more than interest rates or building renovations. They’re a test of whether economic decisions will be made in the public interest—or dictated by presidential pressure.

America now has a $200B investment bank that deploys public capital abroad. In a new @foreignpolicy.com article, @c-hughes.bsky.social explains how it can shape global markets and why, without strong guardrails, the Trump admin could misuse it to benefit private actors and weaken institutions.

#AB325 and #SB53 are officially CALIFORNIA LAW. As of Jan 1, CA has strengthened protections against algorithmic price-fixing, authorized #CalCompute to broaden access to #AI infrastructure, and put transparency and safety rules in place. This is what standing up for a fair economy looks like. 1/

The state of California is facing a mixed financial outlook at a moment when families are already struggling with rising costs. But we've proven what's possible when government takes bold action— and we need to bring that same courage to how we build an economy that works for everyone. 1/

Yesterday, something remarkable happened in the House of Representatives. 17 Congressional Republicans broke ranks with their leadership to join Democrats to extend #AffordableCareAct tax credits for 3 years. Months ago, this outcome seemed impossible. 1/

Big News for New York Families. 👏 Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani just announced a free childcare program for 2-year-olds in NYC and a plan to expand universal Pre-K statewide. 1/

1/ 🚗Come on the Road to Affordability with us! Over the past few months, we traveled across Illinois to hear how the #affordability crisis is impacting people’s lives — from the fairgrounds of Springfield to a community center in Chicago, to a powerful example of what’s possible in Venice. 🧵

ESP’s Director of Policy & Research, Becky Chao, joins @liberalcurrents.com to talk about our #Affordability Framework—a tool for understanding why life has become so unaffordable. 🎧 Listen here: youtu.be/Dguyt1nbY5M 📖 Learn more about our Framework: economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...