Work reporting requirements for government safety net programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), do little to improve long-term employment outcomes and instead increase hardship. Teon Hayes and Akeisha Latch of the Center for Law and Social Policy outline the racist roots of these damaging policies:
Work requirements are one of the legacies of racist narratives such as Black people and other people of color must be coerced into work. Yet the reality is that Black people have worked tirelessly throughout history, immeasurably contributing to this country’s progress. Even so, work requirements persist, fueled by misconceptions and prejudice. … This timeline highlights the history and foundation of work requirements and examines the evolution of racialized narratives in both federal legislation and state actions regarding who deserves aid. Embark on a historical journey to uncover how the origins of work requirements are deeply intertwined with the racist foundations of our nation.
State tax revenue declines again, but stabilizes
Inflation-adjusted tax revenue fell in a majority of states for the second consecutive year. But as Pew’s Justin Theal and Alexandre Fall explain, state tax revenue is showing signs of stabilizing:
Most states saw more moderate annual declines than they did in fiscal 2023, reflecting a return to growth rates more aligned with historical norms after four years of extreme fluctuations. Unlike past revenue declines tied to recessions, this contraction is driven mainly by waning temporary pandemic-related factors and the adoption of widespread tax cuts.
Louisiana was one of 38 states where tax revenue underperformed long-term trends. Total collections in the state were down 0.9% ($35.2 million) as of the second quarter of 2024.
Should cities open grocery stores?
Louisiana has some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation, with 1 in 7 residents living in a food desert. While there are efforts to subsidize stores in these areas, many businesses close once their financial support expires. Governing’s Jule Pattison-Gordon explains how government-owned grocery stores could be a solution:
Still, proponents of city-owned groceries argue that governments can open stores in areas that private supermarkets deem economically unfeasible. After all, governments are trying to serve residents, not turn a big profit. Plus, a grocery store can bolster a neighborhood economy by providing jobs, spurring other commercial activities and allowing residents to reinvest in their communities by spending locally.
Gov. Jeff Landry recently vetoed legislation, which had overwhelming bipartisan support, aimed at eliminating “food deserts” in Louisiana.
State efforts to cut Medicaid could resurface in 2025
Pandemic-era changes to health insurance helped drive America’s uninsured rate to record lows. Unfortunately, rates have ticked back up as those policies have expired. A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains how states across the country could be looking to take health care away from low-income people by targeting Medicaid.
The Trump Administration is expected to look much more favorably on state measures to cut Medicaid. Policymakers in some states are likely to seek more, and more extreme, anti-Medicaid proposals, with a much greater risk that they will receive the needed federal approval. It is also possible that federal legislation will make it easier for states to enact some particularly harmful state policy changes without the need for explicit federal approval. The anti-Medicaid proposals described in this paper could leave many people without coverage and increase health care costs for many more.
Number of the Day
$754 – Average monthly car payment in the last three months of 2024. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans pay $1,000 or more on monthly payments, an all-time high. (Source: Edmunds via the Washington Post)