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Lauren Bauer

@laurenhlb.bsky.social
3.3K followers 1.1K following 569 posts

Fellow | Economic Studies | @brookings.edu Associate Director | @hamiltonproject.org Board | @mazonusa.bsky.social www.hamiltonproject.org Working to end hunger in America laurenhlb.01

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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
Krista Ruffini @kristaruffini.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Pay is low and turnover high among direct care workers in long-term care. In new descriptive work (+ interactives!), we find many workers leave these positions to work elsewhere in healthcare and many others leave employment but continue to provide care for others.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Click!
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Join us tomorrow at Brookings for critical conversations on long-term care --- immigration and the care workforce and Medicare home health reform are the themes. Hope to see you there! www.hamiltonproject.org/event/meetin...
hamiltonproject.org
Meeting long-term care needs for an aging United States - The Hamilton Project
On September 29, The Hamilton Project will host an event to discuss policies to expand access to long-term care.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Still no guidance from USDA on the SNAP cost-shift provisions. Cool cool cool.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I am collecting anecdata on how declining enrollment is actually happening...
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
FYI - @betseystevenson.bsky.social has a @hamiltonproject.org proposal that adds earned time off to FLSA. It’s a great idea with 90 percent+ support. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
hamiltonproject.org
A federal guarantee for earned paid time off - The Hamilton Project
Betsey Stevenson proposes a federal earned paid time off policy that would apply to all workers and all types of leave.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Scandalous.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Important story about the most important knock on effect to the decimation of SNAP …
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger @mazonusa.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The SNAP state cost-shift policy is basically a coin flip. New from our board member and @brookings.edu fellow, @laurenhlb.bsky.social a state's bill could swing from $0 to over $2 billion, based on chance, not performance. States may be forced to cut SNAP or drop it. Congress should fully fund.
brookings.edu
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance | Brookings
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I'm hiring! Please apply to be a - Research Assistant (rising senior) - Senior Research Assistant (work experience/master's) with The Hamilton Project! www.hamiltonproject.org/about/careers/
hamiltonproject.org
Careers - The Hamilton Project
Join one of the most influential, most quoted and most trusted think tanks and begin a career in public policy.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 02/09/2026
OBBBA shifts a portion of SNAP benefit costs onto states, based on a given state’s “payment error rate.” @laurenhlb.bsky.social and Diane Schanzenbach estimate what share states would have been required to pay in FY2026 under this policy—and find that state outcomes vary widely, randomly.
hamiltonproject.org
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Shameful.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
And restore full federal funding of SNAP benefits?
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Spoke with @marketplace.org about SNAP's anniversary and the potential end to a national food assistance program. Factcheck true.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 31/08/2026
Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the Food Stamp Act, which permanently authorized the Food Stamp Program, now known as SNAP. Today SNAP faces cuts that threaten the program's existence, @laurenhlb.bsky.social and Diane Schanzenbach warn in a new Hamilton Project analysis.
hamiltonproject.org
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Poor and purposeful timing to have pulled down national food insecurity measurement.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A policy that could cause states to drop out of the SNAP program entirely should not be left to chance (literally) - which is exactly what Diane Schanzenbach and my new piece on SNAP Payment Error Rates and the OBBBA cost shift finds. Read all about it here: www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
hamiltonproject.org
The SNAP state cost-shift policy leaves the program’s existence to chance - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach find that the SNAP cost shift to states will fluctuate unpredictably and considerably from year to year solely based on random chance.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
There are many problems with the SNAP cost shift to states. Here’s a big one: it means that billions of state dollars — and potentially some states’ ability to continue SNAP at all — will essentially be coming down to chance.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
New analysis from me & Diane Schanzenbach, possibly my favorite piece ever: We study the SNAP payment error rate and explain why tying how much a state will have to contribute toward SNAP payments to its PER is inherently empirically unstable. Remand. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
A policy that could cause states to drop out of the SNAP program due to chance should not be left to chance. SNAP should be fully federally funded.Figure 3 shows confidence intervals around the point estimates for a states SNAP payment error rate in FY2023. The confidence intervals are larger than the bins.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
So glad all these ill-conceived and ineffective work requirement policies are kicking in. (SARCASM)
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Others are arguing for a clean two-year delay. Fine. But I need to be clear: A farm bill that does not restore full federal funding for SNAP benefits isn't worth the paper it's marked up on. The cost shift onto states under OBBBA is a mistake. Fix it. www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
hamiltonproject.org
SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will significantly impair recession response - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach analyze how SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect the program’s response to recessions.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
SNAP benefits should be fully federally funded. The cost shift delay should turn into repeal. Any sweeteners that validate that the cost shift is going to happen are sour.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger @mazonusa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
This week the Senate Ag Committee considers a "Farm Bill" that could end SNAP altogether in some states. Time to be "Alabama honest," says MAZON board member Lauren Bauer: the payment error rate isn't fraud, it's paperwork. Congress must delay the cost shift and fully fund SNAP.
mazon.org
It’s Time to be 'Alabama Honest' About SNAP Cuts - MAZON
By Lauren Bauer, Member of MAZON’s Board of Directors This Thursday, the Senate Agriculture Committee will mark up the Farm Bill, which includes a one-year delay and even higher penalties for the SNAP...
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I wrote a short piece for @mazonusa.bsky.social on why it's important that Alabama's state government and Alabamians are being honest about the likely consequence of the SNAP cost shift: dropping out of the program. It's short - please read! mazon.org/news/its-tim...
As the Senate takes up the Farm Bill, Alabamians and Alabama state officials are warning that the state will drop out of the SNAP program if there aren't changes made to the cost-shift policy. The author supports full federal funding of SNAP benefits.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The timing/sequencing issues with the SNAP cost shift are only one of the worst aspects of the policy design. The second worst aspect is the incentive to drop eligible participants. The first worst aspect is that whole states are going to drop out of the program entirely.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Awesome job alert: The Center on Poverty and Social Policy is hiring for a (PhD-holding) research director to manage a national, state, and NYC policy portfolio and supervise their analysts. Apply here: povertycenter.columbia.edu/lead-our-res... #econsky
povertycenter.columbia.edu
Join Our Team as Research Director | Center on Poverty and Social Policy
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Foresight is infuriating in this case. Congress?
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
tony romm @tonyromm.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
Jay Shambaugh @jaycshambaugh.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This is entirely unsurprising,but still important to track and take note of. Work requirements and other high hurdles of paperwork keep eligible people who need support from accessing benefits. Kids will go hungry. We could all see it coming. Doesn’t make it less horrible.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Well it took two more weeks and a New York Times front page story, but I'm delighted to see the internet talking about the devastating (and reversible with political will and serious effort) cuts to SNAP.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
Jay Shambaugh @jaycshambaugh.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Congress desperately needs to re-assert control over tariff (tax) policy, by getting rid of these old laws that everyone assumed no one would use. Our system is not intended to let one person raise taxes on a whim.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
NEW: A year after H.R. 1 enacted the deepest SNAP cuts in history, the number of children receiving SNAP nationwide has likely dropped by more than 1.5 million, based on our analysis of available data from 17 states. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...
cbpp.org
SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Republican Megabill Is Implemented
SNAP participation nationwide fell by more than 4 million people (nearly 10 percent) between the law’s July 2025 enactment and March 2026, based on the latest month of data.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Millions of people are losing access to food benefits right now for literally no good reason and I wish more people were aware and talking about it. www.cbpp.org/research/foo... (As opposed to or at least in addition to the other stuff.)
cbpp.org
SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Republican Megabill Is Implemented
SNAP participation nationwide fell by more than 4 million people (nearly 10 percent) between the law’s July 2025 enactment and March 2026, based on the latest month of data.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 06/07/2026
Signed into law on July 4 last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will make SNAP substantially and detrimentally less responsive to economic downturns, @laurenhlb.bsky.social and Diane Schanzenbach warn. Read more:
hamiltonproject.org
SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will significantly impair recession response - The Hamilton Project
Lauren Bauer and Diane Schanzenbach analyze how SNAP cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect the program’s response to recessions.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 02/07/2026
Prime-age women with young children are participating in the labor force at or near record rates. @laurenhlb.bsky.social spoke to @nytimes.com’s @clairecm.bsky.social about some of the factors driving their participation: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/u...
nytimes.com
How Remote Work Has Helped a Generation of Working Parents
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Basically this seems like the administrative version of “self-deportation”: make compliance with the program onerous enough that states will simply opt out.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Working on the next piece from me and Diane Schanzenbach on OBBBA and the SNAP benefit state cost shift ... and it is really unbelievable that there isn't a lick of guidance yet on this (Section 10105).
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
💯
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
ICYMI: We've updated @hamiltonproject.org's SNAP Payment Error Rate tracker with FY2025 data. It shows that 35 states are in danger of having to pay 5, 10, or 15 percent of SNAP benefits in FY2027 unless Congress acts. www.hamiltonproject.org/data/snap-pa...
hamiltonproject.org
SNAP payment error rates by state, FY 2003–25 - The Hamilton Project
This data interactive shows SNAP payment error rates for the U.S. and for each state from fiscal year 2003 through fiscal year 2025.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The Hamilton Project SNAP Payment Error Rate data interactive is now updated with FY2025 numbers. www.hamiltonproject.org/data/snap-pa...
hamiltonproject.org
SNAP payment error rates by state, FY 2003–25 - The Hamilton Project
This data interactive shows SNAP payment error rates for the U.S. and for each state from fiscal year 2003 through fiscal year 2025.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
In FY2028, 15 states and DC will have SNAP benefits fully paid for by the federal government because they have a payment error rate below 6% or above 13.32%. The remaining 35 states may have to pay 5% (6 states), 10% (16), or 15% (13) of benefits. (*May bc they can try again w/ FY26 PERs). Madness.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
There has to be a two year delay for the SNAP state cost shift. At minimum. (I support repeal.)
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
This is not only a Democratic demand. Anyone can freely call up Alabama state officials and be disabused of this.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and moms trying to do it all, and the workplaces that are trying to help. How Remote Work Has Helped a Generation of Working Parents www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/u...
Since COVID, labor force participation among prime-age mothers, especially those with children under five, has remained elevated
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
It would be really useful if more than 12 states were to put out demographic information about SNAP participants starting immediately.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
At a time when (too many) are focused on cutting taxes, The Hamilton Project is working on sensible ways to raise revenue. Today, we're releasing three new policy proposals on how to do revenue-raising business tax reform, summarized here: www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/... 1/2
hamiltonproject.org
Taking on tax: Toward progressive revenue-raising business tax reform - The Hamilton Project
Hamilton Project director Aviva Aron-Dine discusses three new Hamilton Project proposals that offer ideas to raise revenue from business tax reform.
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Reposted by Lauren Bauer
The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 15/06/2026
TOMORROW at 3 PM ET: @hamiltonproject.org, @taxlawcenter.org, and @taxpolicycenter.bsky.social are hosting an event on business tax reform. www.hamiltonproject.org/event/taking...
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
This is my pinned post. We are still putting out the federal outlay tracker updates every day.
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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
AFAIK, this is the first on-the-record statement from a state (Alabama!) that the SNAP cost-shift could end the program. “Absent any federal guidance, there’s only 3 current options available to us...And that is either pay the cost share if we’re over 6%, get the rate under 6%, or end the program.”
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