Today's edition of TTR delivers the Recession-times case for equal pay, a look at the challenges of overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, the latest on foreclosures and a report on the relationship between the United States and India.
- Women bring home the bacon. The recession hurts families that increasingly rely on wives’ income, according to Heather Boushey at the Center for American Progress. The sharp rise in married couples who depend women to be the primary breadwinner holds true across demographic groups, and is the result of men experiencing greater job losses during the recession (men account for three out of every four lost jobs). There are 2 million working wives today with an unemployed husband. Since most families receive health insurance through husbands’ employers, and women still earn just 78 cents on the male dollar, this trend has put real strain on family budgets. In the average married household, where both spouses work, the wife brings home only 35.6 percent of the family’s income. When husbands lose their jobs, families must struggle to live on just a third of their prior income. Given a bleak employment market, Boushey predicts this situation is unlikely to change soon and suggests policymakers focus on pay and benefits equity now more than ever. -- MD
- Department of 5,000 Briefings. Health care reform legislation will move through five congressional committees before a final bill emerges -- now, imagine having to deal with 88 committees. The Department of Homeland Security does just that, according to a new investigative report by the Center for Public Integrity. DHS is answerable to some 88 congressional committees and subcommittees, placing a unique burden on the department and producing this mind-boggling chart. In 2007 and 2008, DHS officials attended more than 370 hearings and gave more than 5,000 briefings to 108 committees. Last Congress FEMA’s administrator testified before just 12 committees. Though proposals to simplify and streamline congressional oversight of DHS have been proposed, Members of Congress fighting for control have prevented a dedicated committee from being created. -- CKS
- Focus on foreclosures. Subprime lending from 2000 to 2006 led to a home-ownership boom that was, for many families, a dream come true. Now, after the collapse of the housing market, the Urban Institute examines the impact of foreclosures on families and communities. Drops in housing prices and rising foreclosure rates are more prevalent in some regions than in others, they find, and a single foreclosure costs an estimated $79,443 in total to the community. The study compares impacts of foreclosure on different types of families, specifically renters, children, and the elderly -- groups often overlooked in the foreclosure legal process. It also looks at the shared consequences of foreclosure: declining property values, crime, social disorder, population turnover, and fiscal stress on local governments. -- CIA
- The India angle. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the United State's relationship with India is more important than ever, particularly on issues of global warming, counter terrorism, and international trade. With India emerging as a global economic power, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent trip to the country was an opportunity to establish a more robust global partnership. The report suggests compromise with New Delhi on key portfolios, including arms treaties and, more importantly, climate change; bilateral treaties and investor protection are vital for accommodating conflicting national interests. The memo also points to the potential in jointly funded initiatives for agriculture and education, citing the 2008 Fulbright-Nehru fellowship as an example of possible expansion in higher education exchanges between the two nations. -- AS
-- TAP Staff
