New CEPR data: Union membership in the US fell from 18% to 10% since 1985—nearly cut in half. Every state but VT saw declines. Trump is accelerating the attack on workers, but this 40-year erosion started long before him. More from @hcbrown.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4rmZKL5

Instead of giving 70%+ of tax cuts to the wealthiest 20%, we could: 👉🏽 Raise the minimum wage 👉🏽Make it easier for workers to join unions 👉🏽 Keep labor markets tight so wages stay up

This is why people can't afford things in America. When most households are getting a shrinking slice of the pie, economic anxiety is no longer a feeling; it's people's reality. Affordability isn't just about prices. It's about how much and who is getting paid.

In 1974, middle-income households took home 17% of all US income. By 2024? Just 13.9%. Meanwhile, the top 20% went from 43.5% to over 52%, now capturing the MAJORITY of all income in America. Every other group lost ground.

The income share going to the top 5% GREW by 40% since 1974. The lowest-income households? Their share DROPPED by nearly 28%. Every group below the top lost ground.

🧵NEW DATA:  The bottom 80% of American households are getting poorer. It's not just people in poverty falling behind. @a-austin.bsky.social  looks into 50 years of data explaining why so many families feel squeezed. https://cepr.net/publications/reduce-inequality-to-address-affordability/

When grifters run the government, everyday Americans suffer while footing the bill.

People living in the US need cost-of-living relief—not—more war.

5/5 The bottom line: we are likely to see further weakening, but not a sudden collapse. Health care remains the main source of job growth while wage gains are slowing. And the March survey only captures about two weeks of impact from the war with Iran, so the full effects are still ahead.

3/5 Restaurants were one of the few sectors adding jobs outside of health care, but that is likely to reverse. Higher gas prices and war-driven uncertainty are pushing people to cut spending. When budgets tighten, eating out are often the first thing to go.

1/5 #JobsDay Preview 🧵 @deanbaker13.bsky.social on  what to expect from Friday's March employment report. The short version: the job market was already losing steam before the Iran war, and March is almost certain to look worse. Here is what the data is showing: https://bit.ly/4bKWVis

🚨🚨Today, anyone earning $1M/year stops paying into Social Security — for the rest of 2026. That's 300 days of a tax break the rest of us don't get. There's no good reason the ultra-wealthy shouldn't pay their fair share all year. New from @hcbrown.bsky.social :

🚨 Today, million-dollar earners stop paying into Social Security for the rest of the calendar year, all thanks to a loophole that caps the maximum taxable income. Learn more and find out if you qualify for the cap with this handy tool from @ceprdc.bsky.social:

Why do the richest people get a 9-month tax holiday? I f they paid into SS for 12 months like the rest of us, the SS trust fund would be in better shape

#BeckersReview  cites CEPR's @eileenappelbaum.bsky.social#BeckersReviewsmaller PE deals can help struggling providers—but larger buyouts burden institutions with debt, weakening stability & stymying operations. BTW, $1T has been invested over the last decade in our healthcare system.

This is a great interactive map by my colleague Hayley Brown. Click on a year and see what happened to union membership in your home state.

Share this short video explainer with friends and skeptics. We all need paid sick days.

From tariffs to federal hiring freezes, Trump’s policies negatively impacted Black employment across all age groups in 2025. @a-austin.bsky.social  outlines the federal and local policy choices needed to bring Black unemployment back down from recession levels.  https://bit.ly/4qQIoHe

This is a great video that answers a congressman who thinks gutting Medicaid doesn’t go far enough.