EPI in the news

• How Much Does the American Dream Cost in Your State?

  Methodology: The American Dream for this study is defined as a married couple who own a home and a car, have two children and a pet. The data included was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow Home Value Index, the Federal Reserve, ASPCA’s Annaul Pet Costs, the Economic Policy Institute’s Childcare Costs by State.

  GO Banking Rates | May 6, 2025
• 5 Black-Owned Mom Brands To Shop For Mother’s Day

  It is far from a secret that Black women work harder than nearly any other group in this country, with a report by the nonprofit Institute for Women’s Policy Research showing that 80 percent of Black mothers are the breadwinners in their households and another report by the Economic Policy Institute stating that half of African American female workers are moms.

  MadameNoire | May 6, 2025
• 12 Cities a Couple Can Live On Minimum Wage in Virginia

  The minimum wage for Virginia was sourced from the Economic Policy Institute as $12.41, and by assuming the worker works a full 40 hour work week and works 52 weeks a year, the average minimum wage salary can be calculated.

  GO Banking Rates | May 6, 2025
• H-1B visas: How a good idea went bad

  Even if we ignore the use of H-1B visas for non-specialized roles that could easily be filled domestically, such as customer service workers or associate accountants, truly specialized employees who are hired through this visa program are routinely paid less than their American counterparts. As the Economic Policy Institute found, nearly all H-1B employers (including Big Tech firms) use and abuse the visa program to pay migrant workers “well below market wages.”

  The Washington Examiner | May 6, 2025
• Braving a Campaign of Terror: Unnamed

  Agribusinesses are not the only ones benefiting from vulnerable laborers. The H-2B visa program is used by hospitality and tourism, landscaping, construction, forestry and seafood processing, industries with ​“extensive wage theft and lawbreaking by employers,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. The number of these visas are also set to increase in 2025.

  In These Times | May 6, 2025
• The Economic Double Standard: Tariffs vs. Minimum Wage

  On the other hand, low-income workers receiving higher wages will stimulate the economy with their increased spending power. And, even more aligned with this administration’s cost-cutting mission, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, raising the federal minimum wage to just $12 an hour could reduce public assistance expenditures by $17 billion per year. 

  All Sides | May 6, 2025
• Educators Resist Trump’s Fascist Agenda

  Trump’s order to dismantle the Department of Education claims that state governments can take over federal responsibilities, but experts warn this could lead to higher-need districts no longer receiving the funding needed to serve students. “Absent the Department of Education to ensure fairness in funding allocation for programs like Title I, it’s unclear how states will handle the disbursement on their own, which could widen inequalities in education,” explains Hilary Wething, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. Advocates have also begun raising the alarm over protections and funding provided under IDEA being under threat.

  YES! Magazine | May 6, 2025

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