Become ungovernable

This is Trump's "golden age" in action...

One reason to look forward to 2026: 19 states enact minimum wage increases that will boost pay for over 8.3 million workers. 💵 For the first time, workers in a state with a $15/hr wage floor will outnumber those in states with the federal minimum of $7.25/hr—a poverty wage. 1/

Excluding covid, the unemployment rate is at its highest level in over 8 years. The labor market is deteriorating particularly quickly for young workers, who are facing a 10.6% unemployment rate.

And if you're just a regular person navigating the labor market, then I wouldn't blame you for feeling ill at ease. If you need a job, it's hard to find one. If you have a job, you're probably nervous about losing it, and you almost certainly aren't getting a big raise.

November's jobs report was concerning, even with wonky data making it more difficult to parse. The warning signs from Black workers are very much there, spelling out more weakness ahead. www.americanprogress.org/article/nove...

NYC: Senators Schumer + Gillibrand both voted "yes" on the federal trans athlete ban, in case you need yet another reason to hope they never have a moment's public peace & want to call and wish them (another) happy "get primaried into to the stone age"

Another notable trend in today's payroll release is the gradual slowdown in nominal wage growth. As the unemployment rate rises, workers struggle to find jobs and have less leverage when it comes to demand higher wages. Both indicate a slowdown in affordability for workers and their families.

This is the highest unemployment rate since the pandemic. Trump's tariffs have created an economic disaster for Americans.

How does recent growth compare to recent years? Economy added .93 million jobs over 12 months to Nov 2025. That's the weakest over-the-year job growth into Nov in at least 16 years, besides 2020.

Anybody who claims that faster growth is just around the corner needs to come up with an argument that fits the data. The jobs day numbers are consistent with a slowing economy, not one that is about to burst into faster growth.

People under guardianship face a patchwork of voting laws that create confusion, inequity, and disenfranchisement. I break down the data and offer state + federal solutions to protect the franchise in a new report—Democracy Denied for Disabled Americans: Guardianship and the Right To Vote.

“Expanding unemployment insurance benefits helps low-income workers find better-paying jobs.” To learn more, check out the latest EG research from @caseymcquillan.bsky.social and Brendan Moore cited in @cbsnews.com on ways to address the affordability crisis. 🔗: www.cbsnews.com/news/afforda...

The Trump administration's move to unlawfully dismantle the Dept. of Education by moving critical programs to other agencies will cause headaches for students, families, schools, and colleges. Read the new CAP analysis on this below ⬇️ www.americanprogress.org/article/movi...

NEW US labor market flows remained sluggish in October data released this morning, as hiring slowed to nearly the lowest level since early COVID The hiring rate fell to 3.2%, layoffs rose to 1.2%, quits fell to 1.8%, and job openings rose to 4.6%

Senate Republicans’ alternative to extending the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits is not a real health care plan. They will shift more financial risk onto families and undermine marketplace stability. New from @americanprogress.bsky.social: www.americanprogress.org/article/sena...

What does a country without affordable healthcare look like? @nzmurphy.bsky.social paints a clear—and alarming—picture. Watch her full interview: https://contrarian.substack.com/p/healthcare-isnt-a-luxury-natasha

US hiring rates remain stuck at 3.2%—tied for the lowest readings since the worst of COVID—but vary dramatically from state to state DOGE-hit DC has the lowest hiring rate at 2.1%, while Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming have some of the highest hiring rates at 4.5% and above

This is Trump's "America First" economy—and it's completely tanking.

Another way to look at this data is that since April 2, job losses in the manufacturing sector were the equivalent of closing a factory per day, or 232 factories so far this year. Trump's Tariffs have been a disaster for US manufacturers

So great to see BLS back to work measuring and informing us about our large and dynamic economy. It’s a great institution full of dedicated civil servants deeply committed their mission. They have had a tough year, and everyone is covering for someone who left. I thank them all for their service.

Fiscally, this is how I think of the OBBBA: Big cuts for the poor paid for big tax cuts for the rich, which outnumber the tax cuts for everyone else

First Jobs Day since the shutdown, and @saraestep.bsky.social and I are here with the latest analysis of today's data and how job seekers are struggling in Trump's economy. ⬇️ www.americanprogress.org/article/in-a...

We finally have jobs numbers out this morning from September and take a look at this: big jump again in Black women's unemployment, now 7.5% from 6.7% in August. This figure has been ticking up all year. This is now the highest unemployment rate Black women have faced in 4 years, since mid-2021.

Today is #NativeWomensEqualPayDay. For every $1 earned by a non-Hispanic white man, Native women earn just 58¢. This devastating wage gap fuels hardship & insecurity. #IndigenousWomen deserve #EqualPay & #EconomicJustice.

Save the date! This Thursday, 11/20 at 6 PM EDT, join @rweingarten.bsky.social, Emily Gee (@americanprogress.bsky.social) & Leslie Dach (@protectourcare.org) for a webinar on Washington’s budget battles & how they drive up healthcare costs. Please register below. aft.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Today's announcement that the Dept. of Education is being further dismantled by the Trump administration will hurt the millions of students and families that rely on federal education programs. Read the statement from @americanprogress.bsky.social ⬇️ www.americanprogress.org/press/statem...

did you know the Mountain Goats have a new album out today and you can buy it or stream it and dance to it in your living room or while driving or on the subway and it's a whole vibe? well now you know that 30tgrs.ffm.to/ttfafpb

By idealizing an all-White, male workforce, the Labor Department’s campaign doesn’t just distort reality — it echoes a long history of propaganda that centers whiteness & erases the contributions of women & workers of color. More @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4opZSc3 #WorkersRights #GoodJobsEconomy

Disabled workers employment rates made a lot of headway. But due to premium spikes, many disabled workers will have to make career decisions based on employer based health insurance vs having the flexibility to start self employment or their own business. www.americanprogress.org/article/aca-...

Me this week as someone who covers JOLTS and Jobs Day

Must read thread from Katie, with new analysis from her and the nutrition team at @centeronbudget.bsky.social

The Trump administration's failure to fund SNAP benefits will have devastating impacts on families' budgets and local economies. SNAP supports households getting food on tables, generates 100,000s of jobs, and every dollar returns $1.50 to the local economy. www.americanprogress.org/article/snap...

If SNAP benefits don’t go out November 1, it’s not because of the shutdown or because SNAP ran out of money. It’s because the Trump admin is illegally refusing to use the money in the SNAP contingency fund. The same admin that enacted the largest cuts to SNAP in history.

2026 premiums are posted on HealthCare.gov. I checked out my hometown zip code in Lansing, MI. Someone w/an income less than $2,000/mo who paid $0 for a plan this year would pay $82/mo in 2026. That’s not affordable. Congress needs to act now to extend the PTC enhancements!

New @americanprogress.bsky.social I find that 4.4 million small business owners and self-employed people face a $1,500 mean tax hike this year. When enhanced marketplace tax credits expire, businesspeople making <$150k, face a larger tax hike than eliminating the passthru deduction

Disabled people deserve full control of our bodyminds, health, and futures. @seemiaroll.bsky.social and I identified 5 priorities for disability reproductive equity after an @americanprogress.bsky.social -hosted summit of 50+ advocates. www.americanprogress.org/article/disa...

LSU will spend more money paying off a fired coach than it did on merit scholarships last year.

“Letitia James would be among the many Black women that support their families.” Thanks @nytimes.com for covering @kennedyandara.bsky.social Bela Salas-Betsch & my research @americanprogress.bsky.social in this story about the experiences of Black breadwinning women. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/n...

If Republicans in Congress don't extend ACA tax credits: ⚕️ 5 million Americans lose healthcare 📈 Premiums soar for millions more 💼 340K jobs disappear They created this crisis — and then shut down the government over it. More from the Commonwealth Fund: www.commonwealthfund.org/publications...

The latest #UIClaims show much higher continued unemployment insurance claims for federal workers, up 156% for the week ending October 4—compared to the same week last year. The growth this year are due to federal layoffs, exacerbated this month by workers leaving federal payrolls and the shutdown.

Treating conversion therapy as anything other than fake science is harmful and dangerous.

Yesterday’s oral argument included a lot of misleading and downright fake claims. We need to challenge those false narratives bc it’s putting kids at risk. www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...

We will very likely not get the official BLS #JobsReport Friday. An alternative estimate of private payroll change comes from payroll processor ADP. It says the number of U.S. private sector jobs fell in Sept per @jaredb-econ.bsky.social econjared.substack.com/p/rs-big-shu...

The Trump administration is eliminating the data on food insecurity in America instead of putting food in the bellies of hungry kids.

We wrote this before the shutdown but the analysis is still just as important. Healthcare workers, who are mostly women, are the backbone of our economy, but Trump's attacks on health care and repubs refusal to extend the ACA tax credits threaten the industry www.americanprogress.org/article/what...

The Trump administration is slashing minimum wage protections for disabled workers, federal contractors and home care workers. We have to demand accountability. CAP's @jaureliaglass.bsky.social explains in @theprogressivemag.bsky.social:

With all the noise it has been easy to miss the ways Trump has been undermining minimum wage protections progressive.org/op-eds/trump...

In 2024, teachers earned 73 cents for every dollar their similarly educated peers made, on average—a record low. In 1996, the gap was much smaller: teachers earned 94 cents for every dollar. We need to pay teachers more! How? By investing in public education. www.epi.org/publication/...