Under the guise of reducing veteran suicides, the Trump administration has released a plan that could radically reshape veteran care in the United States. The stated goal is to expand mental health services for newly transitioned veterans, the proposal, which administration officials approved on May 31, contains provisions that could starve the Veterans Health Administration […]
Blog: TAPPED
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Trump Launches Full-Scale Attack on Abortion Access
Once Donald Trump claimed he would keep abortion legal if he became president. “I am pro-choice in every respect,” the real-estate developer said in a 1999 NBC interview. What a difference 20 years makes. With a willing Republican Congress, President Trump has moved to obliterate abortion access at every turn. Last week, the Senate Appropriations […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
One in Nine Full-Time Workers Remain Mired in Poverty
On the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, the Economic Policy Institute has reflected on how the campaign called attention to the injustice of poverty; government’s ability to fight it; and the importance of raising wages to mitigate poverty. The Poor People’s Campaign also called for a government commitment to full employment. The […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
A Great Deal for Banks, Not So Much for American Jobs
On Thursday, a bill progressives had dubbed the “Bank Lobbyist Act” was signed into law by President Trump after passing the House 258–159 this week. The bill rolls back a number of Dodd-Frank regulations in order to aid a “suffering” banking sector—even though banks have reported record-high profits this year. And while the bill was […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
SNAP Work Requirements in Farm Bill Would Increase Hunger, Not Employment
There has been shockingly little discussion about provisions in the House Farm Bill that would drastically alter the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and cut or eliminate benefits for about two million people. The bill is set to be voted on today (unless the House Freedom Caucus stalls it to […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
James Comey Talks Trump, Rudy, and Hillary
As the White House continues to blast his very existence, former FBI director James Comey rides the wave atop The New York Times bestseller list. His book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, is a tell-not-as-much-you’d-really-like-to-know account of his law enforcement career and its abrupt denouement courtesy of the 45th president. Predictably, Comey did […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Students Emphasize Full Scope of Gun Violence in Latest Walkout
Whether the current push for stricter gun control will translate into tangible results at the polls remains an open question. But more than two months since the Parkland shooting, it’s clear that a large swath of America’s youth remains active, engaged, and eager to make their voices heard in November. Last Friday, for the second […]
Posted inHealth and Social Policy
The Abortion Generation Gap
A new poll from PRRI has found wide generational gaps on issues of abortion, reproductive health, and sexual assault. “As this younger generation continues to flex its political muscles—as we saw in the response to the Parkland shooting—they could also reshape the national conversation on women’s health issues,” said PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones in […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
The Trump Tax Cuts Should Be Repealed, Not Made Even Worse
With Tax Day here, the Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which included large cuts to both individual and corporate income taxes, remains front and center in the national debate. Republicans in Congress chose to make the corporate tax changes permanent, while phasing out most tax changes to the individual tax code by 2027. […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Worried About the FBI? No.
The night after the news broke about the FBI collecting material from Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s office and hotel room, a friend who is a prominent social scientist and a persistent liberal, asked me: Do you have any qualms about the FBI poring through a lawyer’s files? My honest, spontaneous answer was: No. On hearing […]
