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...

📣 We’re hiring a Senior Program & Research Manager, Cash Initiatives. If you enjoy turning strategy into action, synthesizing complex research, and working alongside policy leaders to advance economic justice — this role is for you. 💰 $96,000–$119,000 🔗 economicsecurityproject.org/careers

Welcome, Loyal Terry, to the team as our new Legislative Advocate! He comes to us from Asm Aguiar-Curry's office, where he staffed AB 325 — legislation ESCAA co-sponsored to ban algorithmic price-fixing. He'll drive our leg agenda in Sacramento on GI, responsible AI, and curbing corporate power.

Paul Wieland just wanted to use his garage door on his own terms. What he ran into was a much bigger fight — a monopoly on repair and use, as companies use software, servers, and subscriptions to change how products work after purchase. #RightToRepair

Public options work. LA’s fee-free banking has helped 38,000 families. North Dakota’s public bank has reinvested $1B back into the state. Illinois deserves the same chance—to keep dollars in workers’ pockets and reinvest in our communities. ESIL Director Sarah Saheb lays out how 👇

ESP co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social breaks down why Trump Accounts won’t fix widening wealth + income inequality. Families need equitable, well-designed cash policies paired with real investment in the foundations of a good life—not surface-level fixes.

“What’s being sold isn’t empowerment. It’s an illusion.” In @forbes.com, ESP board member Aisha Nyandoro unpacks how 50-year mortgages trap Black families in interest-heavy debt while draining the wealth homeownership should create.

“In a recent paper for the ESP, Becky Chao and Mike Konczal document that Americans generally become parents when their earnings have yet to achieve mid-career levels” — leaving young families financially squeezed. Tax credits like the #CTC & #EITC can help address this structural gap.

Rich people are spending. Everyone else is cutting corners. Scoville Fellow '10 Taylor Jo Isenberg of the @economicsecurityproject.org comments in @usatoday.com . www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

The richest 10 Americans made $698B last year alone. @oxfamamerica.bsky.social's new report lays out how we got here and how we can reverse course and build an economy that works for everyone. www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/rese...

NEW: Economic Security Project Executive Director Taylor Jo Isenberg comments on historic numbers from Moody's in @usatoday.com. A near-majority of consumer spending in the U.S. economy now comes from the top 10% of earners—highlighting the daily precarity the other 90% face.

Prices are still rising. Families are still struggling. And the policies coming out of the White House are making it worse. “Mr. Trump has pursued policies, starting with tariffs, that are making the problem worse by making life in America less affordable.”

Cook County just made history. With its 2026 budget, the County becomes the first in the nation to make #guaranteedincome permanent, putting money directly back into families’ pockets. ESIL is proud to partner on this nation-leading effort.

Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp helped define today’s social media landscape—and this decision shows how difficult it is to unwind consolidation years later. 1/ 🔗 www.businessinsider.com/meta-wins-ft...

BIG news: A federal lawsuit says construction equipment companies used shared software to fix prices nationwide – and it points to California’s AB 325 as the GOLD STANDARD for stopping it. 1/

“It’s typically not a goal of policymakers to pass on mortgage debt to a borrowers’ children.” - @mtkonczal.bsky.social on the 50-year mortgage in the @apnews.com.

On @cnbc.com's Squawk Box, ESP Board Chair and Co-founder @c-hughes.bsky.social describes the industrial policy we need: “Give an institution a clear mission, and work with Congress to streamline that, rather than just do one deal here or there because your buddy called you up.”

President Trump’s economy runs on deals, not strategy—ad hoc bargains that expand presidential power without building public capacity.

“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.