EPI in the news

• Mass deportations carry a hefty cost for Pennsylvania

  Pennsylvania could add nearly 31,000 teachers, 32,000 firefighters and 27,000 nurses to its workforce instead of spending more than $9 billion to deport immigrants.

  Nationally, it is enough to cover the cost of medical care for 5 million veterans and a host of other programs, according to a new calculator created by the nonpartisan think tank the Economic Policy Institute.

  Ben Zipperer, senior economist at the institute, said the cost of the Trump administration’s mass deportation program could pay for what many Americans see as priorities.

  “Instead of funding mass deportations, we could pay for health insurance for nearly 12 million people or fund nearly 10 million public housing units or have paid parental leave for six million parents. Instead, we’re demonizing immigrants,” Zipperer pointed out.

  Public News Service | November 10, 2026
• Will the Blue Tsunami Bring a New Deal for Unions?

  A recent Economic Policy Institute study estimated the gains working people would make if union membership tripled to about 30%: $1.2 trillion a year, or about a third of the increase in economic inequality since 1979. Thus, if union density returned to where it was during the New Deal, this would put a serious dent in the economic inequality that has roiled American politics and ruined household finances. It is difficult to imagine a more powerful outcome for the Blue Tsunami than a New Deal for unions.

  Common Dreams | November 10, 2026
• Opinion: Mass deportations could make Arizona’s housing crisis worse

  The potential statewide effects are substantial. The nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute estimates that a large-scale, multi-year deportation scenario could cost Arizona approximately 60,000 construction jobs, or 22% of its construction workforce.

  Arizona Daily Star | November 10, 2026
• Trice’s farewell, Entler’s swearing-in a jovial affair amid cloud of Amendment 3

  A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the amendment would cut $12 billion from local budgets across Florida. The tax cut also translates to 123,000 jobs now at risk, according to the study.

  Suncoast Searchlight (FL) | November 10, 2026
• What new property tax cuts mean for Miami politics, services

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, the amendment could trigger the largest layoffs in county history, with an estimated 12,000 positions eliminated by 2028.

  Miami New Times | November 10, 2026
• Dems Campaigned on Affordability. But Can They Deliver?

  Economists like Josh Bivens, chief economist at the Economic Policy Institute, also want to see Democrats go beyond just addressing the high cost of groceries and gas, which was a major part of the campaign. “In terms of the policy levers that will actually work to make affordability better,” he said, “we have at least as many, probably more, that work on the income and wage side than the price side.”

  The New Republic | November 10, 2026
• Gov. Shapiro wants to raise minimum wage again, but this time with a Democratic majority. Here’s what to know.

  Thirty states and the District of Columbia have adopted minimum wages that are higher than the federal level, according to the progressive Economic Policy Institute. As of 2025, 11 states – including Delaware and New Jersey – had a minimum wage of at least $15, while seven more were expected to reach that level this year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

  Philadelphia Inquirer | November 10, 2026

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