“The bottom line here is that the gov't built something that people liked, but that doing so upset the private industry...so now the Trump admin is bending to the power and influence of that industry at the expense of the American people,” explains ESP's Adam Ruben.

A new Treasury report confirms it: the Trump admin has officially killed the IRS #DirectFile tool—free, fast, and loved by taxpayers—handing a massive win to billion-dollar tax prep companies at the expense of the American people. Read more 👇

The votes are in and the result is clear: it’s time to make life affordable for everyone. From New York to Virginia, voters elected leaders who took the rising cost of living seriously and offered concrete solutions rooted in the realities of their communities. 1/

Child care is a key driver of the affordability crisis squeezing families nationwide. We applaud New Yorkers United for Child Care & United Neighborhood Houses for their #2CareForAll Blueprint—a roadmap to universal, public childcare that builds on NYC’s progress and shows what’s possible.

As the federal government rolls back enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, attempts to deregulate AI (even threatening state laws), and lays off thousands of federal workers, it’s important to stay grounded in our vision of an equitable tech economy. In 2025, that’s exactly what we did.

Congressional Republicans’ cuts to ACA subsidies and Medicaid will make healthcare more expensive for 22M Americans. ESP’s @mtkonczal.bsky.social broke down what’s at stake on CSPAN. WATCH 👇

1/💬 In a New York Times op-ed, ESP President Natalie Foster called out Congressional Republicans’ healthcare plan for what it is: a raw deal for Gen Z and working Americans.🧵

Today @economicsecurityproject.org released its Affordability Framework by Becky Chao and myself. As affordability remains central to economic debates, it's helpful to step back to see the key drivers of the crisis and build a theory of the case. /1 economicsecurityproject.org/resource/aff...

1/ Most people are not judging the state of the economy by GDP—they’re judging it by the cost of their weekly groceries or rent. We’re living through an affordability crisis, and today, we’re releasing a framework to help make sense of this reality + chart a different path forward.

1/ Starting Jan 1, insulin will be available for just $11 a pen in CA – a game changer for people with diabetes who now spend an average of $169 a month on insulin, thanks to #CalRx. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Nearly 2M Californians could see their healthcare costs double, and 400K families could lose coverage as ACA tax credits expire. It’s a blow to working families stretched thin and a consequence of this summer’s tax law that prioritized tax breaks for the wealthy over healthcare affordability.

Join Civic Health Alliance and Doctors for America for a special webinar: “Storytellers for Resistance: Healthcare Advocacy Post H.R.1" Register at tinyurl.com/59y6y64f We hope to see you there! @drsforamerica.bsky.social @economicsecurityproject.org @healthcarevoices.org

Cook County is making history. President Toni Preckwinkle’s 2026 budget makes the nation’s largest #guaranteedincome program permanent — putting $ directly in the pockets of working families. ESIL is proud to partner on this nation-leading effort. 🔗 economicsecurityproject.org/news/cook-co...

Michigan just showed what it looks like to invest in families. A $270M state budget boost will expand #RxKids tenfold, reaching 30K babies a year👏👏👏 🔗 www.michiganpublic.org/health/2025-...

1/ 🎉🧵 BIG WIN: Gov. Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) yesterday signed #AB325 into law! The era of corporate collusion hiding behind computer code is over. Californians deserve fair prices, not corporate price manipulation, and that’s exactly what this bill delivers.

AB 325 modernizes California’s antitrust laws to address algorithmic price fixing, closing loopholes that corporations have exploited to drive up the cost of living for Californians. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/06/g... @catherinebracy.com @economicsecurityproject.org @econliberties.bsky.social

In just a few weeks, more than 22 million Americans will shop for 2026 health insurance - for most, costs are set to more than double. That's because of the Republican-passed H.R. 1. apnews.com/article/cong...

1/ Starting Nov.1, 24 million people who receive their healthcare insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces will see their premiums DOUBLE because of cuts to ACA subsidies and Medicaid passed by Congressional Republicans. Young adults will be hit the hardest.

1/ Oregon’s Direct Cash Transfer Plus (DCT+) pilot proves that trust and cash changes lives. In 2022, Oregon launched the first statewide, publicly funded #guaranteedincome program for young people, ages 18–24, experiencing homelessness. 🧵

The results from Flint's Rx Kids program are extraordinary: healthier babies, more stable housing, reduced depression, and $6.2M saved in healthcare costs. Direct cash to families works. We have the proof. Now let's scale it. #GuaranteedIncome #RxKids #EconomicSecurity

Timely discussion 👇

"By signing SB 53 into law, Gov. Newsom recognizes that the tremendous innovative power of AI should benefit all of us, not just a handful of tech corporations and their investors." - ESP's @teriolle.bsky.social

California just set the national standard for AI safety and innovation. @governor.ca.gov just signed #SB53 into law, ensuring the future of AI serves all of us, not just Big Tech’s bottom line. Here’s what the law does 🧵

Stability, dignity, results. Oregon's Direct Cash Transfer Plus (DCT+) program gave young people experiencing homelessness $1,000/mo. At the end of the program, 91% of participants reported having stable housing.

1/ Launched in 2024 in Flint, Michigan, #RxKids is the nation’s first-ever community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program. The results of two studies are in: 💡Preterm births fell by 18% and low birthweights by up to 27% 💡Evictions fell by 91%! 💡Postpartum depression fell by 14%

Their conversation was moderated by @nataliefoster.bsky.social President and Co-Founder of @economicsecurityproject.org and author of "The Guarantee." These were our main takeaways: techequity.us/2025/09/24/p...

Childcare isn’t just a family issue. Sky-high costs ripple across the economy, hurting businesses, shrinking local economies, and forcing parents (mostly women) out of the workforce, explains ESP President @nataliefoster.bsky.social.

“It took so much stress away,” said #RxKids participant Angela Sintery. With the cash, she bought a car seat, bassinet, and crib, covered diapers and wipes, took 14 weeks off work, and, for the first time, could “step back and enjoy my pregnancy.”

"If the enhanced subsidies expire, nearly 4 million people are projected to go without coverage in 2026 because they won’t be able to afford the premiums, according to a 2024 analysis by the Congressional Budget Office."

1/ Childcare is one of the biggest expenses families face, often costing more than rent or mortgage. New Mexico is changing that by making it free for all residents, saving families an average of $12K per child every year.

Imagine paying more for a flight to a funeral—just because the airline knows why you’re traveling. That’s surveillance pricing: companies using your personal data to predict how much you're willing to pay to squeeze every dollar.

Their conversation was moderated by @nataliefoster.bsky.social President and Co-Founder of @economicsecurityproject.org and author of “The Guarantee.” Register now: techequity.us/event/the-ri...

Private capital’s reach is everywhere—from housing to retail to healthcare. TOMORROW: ESP’s @nataliefoster.bsky.social will moderate a conversation with @techequity.us Founder + CEO Catherine Bracy and journalist @greenwell.bsky.social on what this means for our economy. 🔗 ow.ly/LK0w50WKnq1

Bay Area folks! I’m so excited about this event on Tuesday with the great @nataliefoster.bsky.social @catherinebracy.com @economicsecurityproject.org @techequity.us. Please come hang if you’re free; it’s gonna be great. techequity.us/event/the-ri...

🧵Groceries or rent. Medicine or the electric bill. These aren’t hypothetical choices. They're the real trade-offs Illinois families told us about on our Road to Affordability Tour, a series of listening conversations across the state.

I'll be live with @c-hughes.bsky.social, founder of @economicsecurityproject.org talking about what's in store for the U.S. economy. Make sure to tune in and add to your calendars. open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Cash isn’t a cure-all. It won’t end homelessness or fix our broken healthcare system. But as @annielowrey.bsky.social reminds us, it can help families afford the basics like groceries and lower the poverty rate. That isn’t a disappointment—that’s the point. 🔗 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

1/ NEW: California just struck a historic deal with Uber & Lyft. For the first time, rideshare drivers will have a pathway to unionize. After years of organizing, this victory could pave the way in other states and bring stronger protections for gig workers. #LaborDay

Thrilled to be moderating The Future of Equal Opportunity with @eop.aspeninstitute.org next week. I’ll be in conversation with luminaries like @staceyabrams.com , @kotagaleeoc.bsky.social , and @profmpastor.bsky.social to talk about the attacks on equity and how we can turn the tide around.

READ: ESP Fellow @asteephen.bsky.social breaks down why families are facing higher energy bills—from the rollback of clean energy incentives to the rapid growth of AI data centers—and how these shifts are raising costs for families.

NEW: ESP Future of Tax Filing Fellow @cmgiven.bsky.social on what comes next after #DirectFile.

President Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Cook is the most aggressive assault on the Fed's independence that we have ever seen, explains @c-hughes.bsky.social on Squawk Box. This instability won’t just rattle markets—it will hit families already struggling with high costs, too.

Cash helps families cover essentials like groceries, rent, and medical bills, while also improving birth outcomes and boosting school attendance—just a few of the many proven benefits. But it was never meant to be a silver bullet, explains ESP’s Shafeka Hashash via @vox.com.

🚀Gig work is everywhere. For some, it’s a way to make extra cash. For others, it’s a lifeline in a tough economy. But behind the headlines are real struggles. 🧵

Speaking with @arimelber.bsky.social, ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social warns that firing Federal Reserve Governor Cook undermines the independence of the central bank—creating more economic instability at a time when families are already facing an affordability crisis.

Last week, our Director of Cash Initiatives Shafeka Hashash joined @jeremybney.bsky.social on Substack Live to talk about what it really takes to build direct cash programs that deliver for families. Watch a highlight!

1/ MN families spend almost 20% of their income on childcare. As ESP's Taylor Jo Isenberg explains, affordable + accessible care isn't just a family issue, it's foundational to a "healthy, dynamic economy and country." ✍️ @publicnewsservice.bsky.social

TODAY: ESP's Shafeka Hashash joins @jeremybney.bsky.social to talk about the state of direct cash right now. Don't miss it!

1/ Direct cash support works: it reduces stress, improves health outcomes, and creates stability. But as ESP's Shafeka Hashash explains, political attacks from the Trump admin threaten these programs—even while promoting their own cash schemes.