Benefits

A new South Carolina subsidized employment program (known as the STEP program), which has provided jobs for 650 parents, will stop placing South Carolinians in jobs on September 30 unless Congress this fall extends the federal program that funded it, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The STEP program uses federal dollars provided through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress …

As many as 12,000 workers in Pennsylvania could lose their jobs this month if the Senate fails to extend federal funding that allowed the state to create Way to Work, a highly successful program that subsidizes private- and public-sector jobs for unemployed parents and youth, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Way to Work uses federal dollars provided through the TANF Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last year’s …

A new Ohio subsidized employment program, which has provided jobs for 1,500 parents in 44 Ohio counties and 8,000 youth in 69 counties, will never reach its full potential unless Congress this fall extends the federal program that funded it, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The employment program uses federal dollars provided through the TANF Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last year’s Recovery Act, to create …

Minnesota will have to scale back a subsidized transitional jobs program that it has expanded significantly during the recession unless Congress this fall extends the TANF Emergency Fund, the federal program that helped to fund the state expansion, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The jobs program, which is operated through the counties, has more than doubled its placements statewide, from 627 to 1,498 per quarter, since the creation of the Emergency …

As many as 26,000 workers in Illinois could lose their jobs this month if the Senate fails to extend federal funding that allowed the state to create Put Illinois to Work, a highly successful program that subsidizes private- and public-sector jobs for unemployed parents and youth, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Put Illinois to Work uses federal dollars provided through the TANF Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last …

A greatly expanded Connecticut subsidized employment program, which has provided jobs for over 6,000 low-income parents and youth, will never reach its full potential unless Congress this fall extends the federal program that funded it, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The employment program uses federal dollars provided through the TANF Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last year’s Recovery Act, to create subsidized …

Hire Colorado, a new subsidized employment program that has provided jobs for 1,600 parents in counties across the state, will shut its doors on September 30 if Congress fails this month to extend the federal program that funded it, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Most of the job placements for Hire Colorado are with private-sector businesses and non-profits and many have led to permanent, unsubsidized jobs. The program is designed to provide …

An emergency jobs program through which 37 states have provided subsidized jobs for nearly 250,000 otherwise unemployed parents and youth — helping families, businesses, and communities across America weather the recession — will end September 30 unless the Senate joins the House in voting to extend it. The TANF Emergency Fund, which President Obama and Congress created in last year’s Recovery Act, has given states over $1 billion to operate subsidized …

Chuck Marr, Director of Federal Tax Policy, discusses the debate about taxes that will take center stage when Congress returns after Labor Day. Duration: 4:08

Senior Fellow Liz McNichol discusses why some states have ended their fiscal year with budgets in the black even as the state budget crisis continues. Duration: 3:35

The health reform law (the Affordable Care Act) relies primarily on states to establish health insurance exchanges — marketplaces that provide affordable, good-quality coverage options to individuals and small businesses. But it gives states substantial flexibility in how they structure the exchanges. This paper recommends four steps that states should take when setting up their exchanges to minimize the risk of “adverse selection,” which could prevent the exchanges from …

Senior Fellow Paul Van de Water discusses how Social Security helps to reduce poverty. Duration: 2:26

The 2010 annual report of Medicare’s trustees clearly demonstrates that the Affordable Care Act (or ACA, the recently enacted health reform legislation) has greatly improved the financial status of the Medicare program.[1] It also shows that successful implementation of the ACA is an essential first step toward slowing the growth of health care costs. At the same time, the trustees’ report points out the major challenges ahead as the population ages and health care …

An amendment from Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) to small business legislation, on which the Senate will vote on September 14 — its first day back from its summer recess — would repeal a provision of the health reform law designed to raise revenue by reducing noncompliance with the nation’s tax laws. [1] While critics have raised legitimate concerns about some of the paperwork requirements related to that provision, policymakers can address those concerns by modifying the …

A fact generally overlooked in the debate over whether Congress should extend the high-income Bush tax cuts — i.e. those targeted exclusively at couples making over $250,000 and single individuals making over $200,000 — is that these households will still receive substantial tax cuts if Congress extends the so-called “middle-class” Bush tax cuts while letting the high-income tax cuts expire as scheduled. This is because the 2001 tax law’s reductions in the lower …

.style1 { font-size: x-small; } .style2 { border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; } On August 5, the Social Security Board of Trustees issued the 70th annual report on the program’s financial and actuarial status. [1] The trustees’ report shows some mild deterioration in the program’s short-term outlook — a finding that was widely expected — and a mild improvement in its long-run finances, thanks largely to the recent enactment of health …

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935. As Social Security celebrates its 75th anniversary, it remains one of the nation’s most successful, effective, and popular programs. It provides a foundation of income on which workers can build to plan for their retirement. It also provides valuable social insurance protection to workers who become disabled and to families whose breadwinner dies. Fact #1: Social Security is more than just a retirement …

Social Security benefits play a vital role in reducing poverty. Without Social Security, according to the latest available Census data (for 2008), 19.8 million more Americans would be poor. Although most of those kept out of poverty by Social Security are elderly, nearly a third are under age 65, including 1.1 million children. (See Table 1.) Depending on their design, reductions in Social Security benefits could significantly increase poverty, particularly among the elderly. …