At our Wages, Work, and AI panel, ESP Executive Director Taylor Jo Isenberg explained that AI can contribute to shared prosperity, but only if we first confront how our economy is failing people. Otherwise, new technologies risk further concentrating wealth and power. #GINOW2026

Thanks to Democracy Journal for featuring new research from ESP’s Kelli Smith and Fellow Gabriel Zucker on what comes next for Direct File, the free public tax-filing tool that proved that the IRS could build something people actually liked using.

USC Distinguished Professor Manuel Pastor (@profmpastor.bsky.social, @eri-usc.bsky.social) on why framing matters when building Latino support for direct cash. His takeaway: it's best to frame cash as a platform for mobility.

Cash isn't charity. It's freedom. This #July4th, as we mark 250 years, we're also celebrating another milestone — 250 #guaranteedincome pilots across 40 states trusting thousands of families to know what they need and honoring them with the agency to make their own decisions. 1/

"I was met with cash at a moment when I needed it— and it transformed my life.” ESP Director of Cash Initiatives Shafeka Hashash has experienced the power of direct cash firsthand and has made it her life's mission to help people build economic stability.

1/ Sen. Sanders recently introduced legislation that would tax the largest AI companies’ stock to fund a sovereign wealth fund that pays the American people a 5% annual dividend. 🧵⬇️

Illinois just took a major step toward making everyday life more affordable today when Governor Pritzker signed into law a bill banning junk fees—the hidden charges that cost working families hundreds of dollars a year. Check out the full statement from @economicsecurity.us ⬇️

ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social has a new op-ed reframing Alan Greenspan's legacy. He spent decades using the full weight of the federal government to shape a financial system that worked for Wall Street and left everyone else behind.

The 21st Century ROAD Act, which the Senate passed on Monday, is a bipartisan step toward fixing America's broken housing market — but as ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social explains, the crisis runs deeper.

1/ We're thrilled to announce that @mtkonczal.bsky.social has been promoted to Vice President of Policy and Research at Economic Security Project. 🎉

“ I got a phone call saying, ‘You have been approved.’ That was the best feeling. I felt relieved.” That’s Sherrif Polk, a father of six and a participant in the Chicago Future Fund — a #guaranteedincome pilot for formerly incarcerated individuals run by Equity and Transformation (EAT).🧵⬇️

This #Juneteenth weekend, BLIS is hosting Reclamation Day — a festival bringing together 50+ artists, organizers, advocates, & cultural leaders to tell a truer story of America through Black + Indigenous narratives of joy and resilience. Expect art, performance, & movement-building. Come through!

“There’s nothing especially partisan about providing a free and easy tax filing tool.” ESP Fellow Gabriel Zucker joined The Federal Drive to discuss our new report, The Future of Tax Filing — what Direct File got right, why it ended, and what comes next. 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Young people in rural communities are watching the industries that sustained their families for generations start to disappear. AS Travis Helmondollar of CASEWV explained at #GINOW2026, cash helps people navigate moments of transition. Full convo 👇 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHC9...

1/ Today, ESP released Building Affordability, our new policy agenda on housing, which tackles the 2 causes of unaffordability: broken markets + broken incomes. ✍️ by Becky Chao, @mtkonczal.bsky.social, & @resnikoff.bsky.social, it shows how policy can expand supply while also protecting tenants.

We’ve spent decades told that if the economy grows, people’s lives will get better. Millions are working harder, paying more, and losing faith that institutions can deliver. Imagine an economy and democracy that actually make life better. That’s why today, we’re launching The #GoodLife Agenda. 🧵

At #GINOW2026, activist, educator, & host Brittany Packnett Cunningham sat down with Dr. Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of SpringBoard to Opportunities, to talk about what economic freedom actually looks like, Black women's genius, and what becomes possible when we remove obstacles for people.

ESP fellow Anisha Steephen breaks down what real economic development can look like in NYC and cities across the country. Read the full op-ed via Crain’s New York Business: 🔗 www.crainsnewyork.com/opinion/comm...

62% of Americans say buying a home is unrealistic in 2026. We have a roadmap to change that. Join us next June 10, at 3 pm ET, for a webinar introducing our new report, "Building Affordability: The Policy Agenda for America's Housing Crisis." 🔗 economicsecurityproject-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Working families are facing an affordability crisis. Rising costs, hidden fees, and a tax system that was not built for them are making it harder to get ahead. Our partners at Economic Security Illinois Action just wrapped up a big session in Springfield fighting back against exactly that.

From excise taxes on data centers to overhauling a tax code that penalizes hiring humans to taxing billionaires on their wealth — there are real pathways to building shared prosperity in an AI economy. @warren.senate.gov lays out the case. 👇

A new CNN shows how Americans feel about the affordability crisis. 76% say the high cost of living is the biggest economic problem facing their families. 67% say their wages can't keep up with rising prices. Only 1 in 3 can cover a $1,000 emergency. 1/

The affordability crisis is solvable — it just takes political will, explains ESP Executive Director Taylor Jo Isenberg in @damemagazine.bsky.social.

Junk fees are on their way out in Illinois. You’ve probably come across these deceptive fees before. A “convenience fee” on your concert ticket. A “processing fee” on your hotel booking. A charge that appears at checkout that was never on the price tag.🧵⬇️

1/ Policy is downstream of culture. That's something I've believed for a long time — and sitting down with comedian, director, and Emmy and Peabody winner @wkamaubell.bsky.social at Guaranteed Income Now in Austin, TX last week, he gave me a sharper way to say it:

“We need to progress beyond analysis paralysis on whether AI comes for jobs & start to pursue 'no regret' policies that not only prepare Americans for a potential AI transition, but respond to the affordability crisis and instability already facing millions of Americans."

The Federal Reserve's independence is "a fiscal concern just as much as a democratic one," ESP's @mtkonczal.bsky.social told a House Oversight Committee roundtable on federal spending and the national debt today.

🚨HAPPENING NOW: ESP's Senior Director of Policy and Research @mtkonczal.bsky.social is at a House Oversight Committee roundtable, sharing recommendations on federal spending and the national debt. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcrh...

#B&PCOutandAbout Tracy and Leila made their way out to Austin for #GINow! Surrounded by amazing partners like @economicsecurityproject.org, Community Change Action, + UpTogether, they celebrated cash wins, sharpened strategy, and connected with people to move #guaranteedincome from pilot to policy 💙

Chanelle Brown is a mother of two, pregnant with her third child, and a POWER-PAC Illinois parent leader with Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI). And like forty percent of mothers who give birth in Illinois, she relies on Medicaid.🧵⬇️

1/ $160 and 9 hours. That’s what filing taxes costs the average American, not in taxes, in fees to private companies that have spent decades lobbying to keep the system complicated. 🧵⬇️ 🔗 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/the...

What do we owe the people whose work built the AI technology that’s transforming our economy? A new paper from ESP fellow Rayan Semery-Palumbo makes the case for Recovered Wages. That is, repayment for people’s contributions to society.

Inflation is making people nervous. ESP's @mtkonczal.bsky.social explains how rising costs are driving US consumer sentiment to record lows.

This week, ESP co-founder @nataliefoster.bsky.social delivered the keynote at the Michigan League for Public Policy's 2026 forum, with a clear-eyed argument: economic security and democracy are inseparable. Thanks to MLPP for convening this convo, and to all the other panelists who participated.

We need better, affordable healthcare for all. Instead, working families are getting stuck with higher costs + coverage losses. As the healthcare crisis continues to escalate, it's time to speak out against the #healthcareheist.

Huge congrats to FedScoop's Matt Bracken, whose profile of the ESP's Future of Tax Filing Fellows just earned a regional silver Azbee Award from ASBPE. 🏆

California leaders can set an agenda that includes requiring data centers to pay 100% of the infrastructure costs to serve them, as we detail in a recent memo written w/ @economicsecurityproject.org. Don’t have time to read the full memo? Here’s the TL;DR: techequity.us/2026/04/07/a...

We're thrilled to welcome Maggie-Leigh O'Neill as our newest childcare fellow! 🎉 She brings two decades of experience analyzing federal, state, and local policies and will co-author a policy and research brief on innovative solutions to advance universal public childcare during her time with ESP.

"Moms could tremendously benefit from [receiving cash] and take some of the burden off." That’s doula Raeshanda Payne reacting to Illinois’s NEST program, which would provide cash to expectant moms and newborns. Hear the full conversation for @wbez.org's "In the Loop" with host Sasha-Ann Simons.

Your energy bills keep going up, just like Earth’s temperature. What if we could make progress on both problems at once? 1/ #EarthDay

"Overall, it locks Democrats in and keeps locking them in further from being able to fund a government that can do all of the things that need to be done.” As lawmakers float tax proposals aimed at the middle class, ESP's @mtkonczal.bsky.social spoke w/@nytimes.com about what's really at stake.

ESP’s Director of Cash Initiatives, Shafeka Hashash, in @crainschicago.bsky.social: “It’s clear how cash has really bridged this bipartisan line. It’s so popular that everyone wants to jump on board.” 👇

Our new memo with @economicsecurityproject.org breaks down AI’s role in California’s affordability crisis and what we can do about it. Don’t have time to read the full memo? Here’s the TL;DR: techequity.us/2026/04/07/a...

ESP’s Becky Chao in today’s edition of Politico’s California Decoded newsletter (@politico.com):

Mayor Mamdani just announced plans to open a city-owned grocery store in East Harlem. 🛒 It’s a powerful step toward making life more affordable for New Yorkers. Cities like St. Paul, Atlanta and Venice, IL, are experimenting with #publicgrocery stores and and we are excited for its promise.

For too many families, the moment a child is born is also the moment financial pressure peaks. Income drops. Costs rise. What should be a time of bonding becomes a time of stress and uncertainty. 🧵

Excited for this report by my colleague Becky Chao to be out, on where to focus during the AI transition: social insurance, workers, competition, and prices. And also how: center immediate no-regret reforms, and then expand as we see what the full impact will be. Check it out!

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...