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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/10/2026

For millions of families, having kids basically means taking on a second mortgage in childcare costs. And it’s not because childcare workers are overpaid or providers are making enormous profits. It's because childcare is a textbook market failure.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/10/2026

This administration has opened the door to new industrial policy tools, from equity stakes to emergency powers on energy policy. What would it look like for the left to use those tools for good? @dwallacewells.bsky.social on planning for the next Congress: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/o...

"The would-be House speaker Hakeem Jeffries has promised fast action on restoring Obamacare subsidies, reversing Medicaid cuts and undoing Trump’s tariff war. Progressives might push for a rollback on Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding or even a ban on internal immigration enforcement against non-felons, and it’s not hard to picture a new defense budget that would cut spending by axing gold-plated weapons systems and investing instead in next-generation, low-cost alternatives. Democrats haven’t begun to talk publicly about how the way that Trump’s government has taken stakes in private companies might enable progressive-minded interventions on particular sectors, or the way that his invocation of an energy emergency creates opportunity for progressive industrial capacity — though if they wanted to, the Roosevelt Institute’s recent Project 2029 compendium of possible policy and governing innovations for progressives might be a good place to start reading. And then there are those old ideas sitting on the shelf, some more popular than others — Medicare for all, a new national minimum wage, free college — but all looking a bit less likely to be implemented in an era of high interest rates."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/10/2026

The conventional wisdom about who's struggling in today's job market doesn't quite match the data. On @c-span.bsky.social, our @mikemadowitz.bsky.social explains why middle-aged men and young women are facing some of the biggest challenges. www.c-span.org/program/wash...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/10/2026

As our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social explains, if you want government to have a major role in public life, you have to be laser-focused on making it work. Label it whatever you want—effective government is what lets it build, protect, and deliver in ways people can see and feel.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/10/2026

There are differences on the left about how to get there. But there’s broad agreement that the next administration needs to make government deliver in ways people can feel: benefits that arrive fast, public servants equipped to do the job, policies that reach working families.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/10/2026

Rather than better accounting for those costs, some propose switching to chained CPI, which would mean smaller COLAs and lower benefits over time.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/10/2026

Universal childcare is gaining momentum. But as policymakers debate how to make it happen, what should "universal" actually mean? @lbilik.bsky.social spoke w/ @rcobooth.bsky.social about why it's time to move beyond means-tested fixes and toward a public system for all. www.vox.com/policy/50602...

Lena Bilik, a childcare researcher at the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank, told me she thinks public opinion will shift more in favor of free universal childcare when public programs can demonstrate a track record of success, as the country saw with Social Security and more recently the Affordable Care Act. “If we build high-quality public goods that work, I think that with time that problem solves itself,” she said. “But they have to be well-resourced.”

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/10/2026

Today, we're announcing a new legal leadership pipeline to help shape law, policy, and economic power. @peoplesparity.bsky.social's staff, network, and programming will be integrated into Roosevelt this fall and winter, carrying PPP's mission forward inside the Roosevelt Society.

Photo of Elizabeth Wilkins, President and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, smiling in black glasses, a purple jacket, and a white blouse against a dark gray background. Text: “Bringing this legal network into the Roosevelt Society allows us to build that capacity in a profession that has enormous influence over how rules shape people’s lives and what government can do to serve the public. Together, we hope to develop a generation of lawyers who understand how we can reshape law to work for the many rather than the few. That is a critical part of preparing for the next pro-democracy governing moment.”

Photo of Molly Coleman, Co-Founder of People’s Parity Project (PPP), smiling with her arms crossed, wearing a black turtleneck and gold earrings, standing against a light blue wall. Text: “We founded PPP on a simple belief: practicing law is never neutral. Every lawyer and judge is making choices about whose interests the system serves, and they should answer for those choices to the public, not just to each other.”

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 11/10/2026

After FDR's death, she chaired the UN commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says economic security is a human right. That's the idea we carry forward: an economy should give everyone real security and a say in the decisions that shape their lives.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 11/10/2026

Eleanor Roosevelt was born 142 years ago today. Far beyond First Lady, she was one of the most consequential policy voices of her century, traveling the country as FDR's eyes and ears and fighting to make the New Deal reach the people with the least power to demand it.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/10/2026

That history matters now more than ever. Trust in democracy's ability to deliver is at historic lows, and it won't be rebuilt with empty slogans. It gets rebuilt the same way it was built the first time: government visibly, reliably making people's lives better.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/10/2026

We've seen this work before. The New Deal built the most broadly shared prosperity America has ever known, precisely because government took an active hand instead of getting out of the way. Then 50 years of market-first policy dismantled it, piece by piece.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/10/2026

That means changing who has power in the economy. Antitrust taking on concentrated corporate power. Public options giving people an alternative when private markets fail. Industrial policy steering investment toward public goals. These aren’t disconnected policies. They are tools for governing.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/10/2026

For decades, economic policy has too often relied on tax cuts, deregulation, and the assumption that markets will deliver shared prosperity for everyone. Roosevelt has spent years building a different approach. In the weeks ahead, we'll make the case for a governing agenda that shifts power.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 08/10/2026

Assumption 3: Homes appreciate the same for everyone. Reality: They don't. Black-owned homes are valued less on average than white-owned homes at every income level, and the gap is widest at the top. That means each year of ownership builds far less wealth.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 06/10/2026

This month in Tulsa, our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social will speak at @aspenideas.bsky.social to ask what it takes to build a middle-class life today, as the affordability crisis exposes the structural inequalities holding back working families: Learn more: www.aspenideas.org/sessions/wha...

The image is a promotional poster for the Aspen Ideas Economy Tulsa 2026 Event Speaker. It features a person with short hair, wearing glasses and a purple blazer. The name "Elizabeth Wilkins" is displayed, with the title "President & CEO | The Roosevelt Institute" below. The background is a gradient of blue, pink, and orange.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/10/2026

Even retirement doesn't guarantee rest anymore. Americans over 65 have seen their daily leisure time shrink from almost 180 minutes a day in 1995 to about 120 minutes by 2020, even as they've traded a working life for one that's supposed to be their own.

The image is a graph titled "Leisure time is becoming scarcer, even for people over 65," with a subtitle "Older Americans have less time for leisure than they did in past decades." It displays a declining trend from 1995 to 2021 in average minutes per day spent on leisure and sports activities for people over 65. The line graph shows a downward trend starting at approximately 170 minutes in 1995 to around 125 minutes in 2021. The data source is credited to SJ Glynn and others, with the Roosevelt Institute and The Good Life logos at the top.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 01/10/2026

Today, NYC's first-in-the-nation click-to-cancel rule goes live. A basic rule with big implications: sign up with one click, cancel with one click. Here’s @hellodcwp.bsky.social Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social citing our research: it'll save New Yorkers up to $160M and 600,000 hours a year 👇

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

In a panel conversation moderated by @edwardongwesojr.com, @ainowinstitute.bsky.social Co-Director @ambakak.bsky.social and @saalevine.bsky.social explain why the past few decades of tech regulation prove that "self-regulation" for AI must be a non-starter.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

News: At a @nycpolicyforum.bsky.social event, DCWP Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social announces the city’s intent to protect working New Yorkers from the threat of AI to their economic security. “As technology reshapes our economy, workers need to be front and center at the decision-making table.”

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

New @wsj.com polling shows broad support for proactive government action to lower health and child care costs, take on corporate price-gouging, and ask more of the wealthiest earners to fund programs for the working majority. The days of rampant neoliberalism are over. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Bar chart displaying approval of various policies to aid Americans with cost of living and tax laws. Leading with 90% approval is banning surprise medical bills, followed by requiring health insurance companies to report reasons for denying claims at 87%. Capping prices of drugs negotiated by Medicare shows 87% support, and government negotiation of drug prices is at 84%. Raising taxes on large, profitable companies is favored by 76%. The least supported policy, reducing Social Security benefits if Congress can't agree, has 23% approval. Data source: Wall Street Journal poll, September 2026.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 24/09/2026

The common thread: affordability paired with workforce investment. Because without enough providers, universal care can't be delivered. But even the leaders aren't there yet. Only New Mexico offers universal eligibility, and it still requires parents to be working or in school.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 22/09/2026

The result is 18-year-olds betting on almost anything, without the disclosures, odds information, or problem-gambling protections required for most other forms of gambling. That’s why prediction markets should be subject to state gambling rules, alongside reforms to make those rules stronger.

The image features a statement overlay: "The most logical outcome may be to apply the state rules around traditional gambling to prediction markets while simultaneously improving those rules." The background includes various screens and logos, such as the Roosevelt Institute and Fanatics, with a table and chairs in the foreground.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 22/09/2026

The leading platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket argue that their contracts are financial products subject to federal oversight, not gambling subject to state laws. That distinction gives them much more latitude over what they can offer, who can participate, and what rules do and don’t apply.

The image features a darkened background with several blurred screens displaying logos and text, including the Roosevelt Institute. Overlaid text reads: "The issue of problem gambling reveals the shortcomings of Kalshi's insistence that its product be regulated like a sophisticated financial instrument available to anyone who is 18 or older." The image also includes highlighted sections with arrows.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

Higher rates can cool inflation, but they also mean less hiring and investment. @mikemadowitz.bsky.social explains why that makes rate hikes a costly way to tackle today’s inflation:

"This means less hiring and reduced investment pushes up future cost pressure. It’s hard to look at roughly 4% unemployment and a core PCE forecast of 3.5% and say the Fed shouldn’t be focused on inflation. But monetary policy looks like a really costly way to solve this problem right now."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

The decision is in: The Fed raised interest rates by 0.25%, its first hike in three years. So what comes next? Our Principal Economist @mikemadowitz.bsky.social on why this likely isn’t the Fed’s last hike, and how higher rates could ripple through the economy.

Mike Madowitz, Roosevelt Institute:

"This is unlikely to be the end of Fed rate hikes. Now that we’ve locked in tax cuts for $2 trillion a year in borrowing, and AI labs aren’t backing off because of another 0.25% in interest costs, rate hikes are going to eventually slow inflation because we’ll build fewer houses, invest less in factories, and sell fewer cars."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates this afternoon for the first time in three years. In the lead-up, our Principal Economist @mikemadowitz.bsky.social explains why a hike makes sense today, and equally, why treating inflation in the long-run will require more targeted policy tools.

Mike Madowitz, principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute:

Ironically, the dovish July inflation prints probably put more pressure on the FOMC to hike rates this meeting. Broad-based inflation, upward revisions to PPI and surging bond rates all point to a Fed that risks falling behind the curve and letting inflation become entrenched. It’s hard to see a lot of good options for the Fed in this environment; tighter policy is the clear answer today, but falling real wages are a clear sign this is borrowing-driven, not labor market-driven inflation. We’d be better off using more surgical policy tools than the interest rate sledgehammer to address these imbalances.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/09/2026

“Optimism is the rare resource that grows as you dispense it.” @kenlburns.bsky.social and Geoffrey Ward explore how FDR restored Americans’ faith in our economy and democracy amid the depths of the Great Depression. Read via @inpursuitusa.bsky.social: inpursuit.substack.com/p/franklin-d...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/09/2026

A reminder from @zorkamilin.bsky.social: The US already taxes corporations at lower rates than many of its peers. At some point, cutting corporate taxes means giving up the public investments that help make American businesses competitive in the first place. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

By doubling the number of brackets from 7 to 14, @samarthgupta.bsky.social’s proposal gives policymakers more room to respond to rising inequality without relying on a single top rate. For more, read the exclusive coverage on the report in @politico.com! www.politico.com/newsletters/...

"HERE’S AN IDEA: The liberal Roosevelt Institute is tossing a new idea into the tax-the-rich mix — increasing the number of brackets.

The federal income tax code has seven brackets, starting at 10 percent and climbing to 37 percent. Proposals to simplify the tax system have called for collapsing that down to two or even a single bracket.

But Samarth Gupta of the Roosevelt Institute argues in a new paper this morning that the number of brackets has done little to contribute to the complexity spread through the tax code."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

With our national debt hitting historic highs, the austerity hawks are again circling with talks of cutting social programs and public investment. This proposal is far fairer and more fiscally sound: Rebuild the tax code so policymakers have more flexibility to raise revenue as conditions change.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

Reagan-era tax cuts dramatically reduced the number of tax brackets, especially at the top. Today, the 37% rate applies to everyone making above roughly $600,000. That means the tax code largely treats someone earning $1 million the same as someone earning $100 million.

Graph titled "Postwar Top Tax Bracket and Rate" from Roosevelt Institute, displaying two lines from 1940 to 2025. The green line represents "Top Marginal Rate" with percentages from 0% to 100%, while the purple line shows "Top Income Bracket (2025 dollars)" with values from 0M to 5M. The graph indicates a decline in the top marginal rate over time and relatively stable income brackets in recent decades. Source: Tax Foundation and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' "Inflation Calculator".

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 11/09/2026

As we round out our week on the state of US labor, consider one way technology is reshaping work: businesses are using algorithms to set wages, allocate shifts, and manage workers. Corporations are using the latest tech to strip away the protections that once came with a job. 🧵

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 10/09/2026

We’ve made this mistake before with free trade: policymakers told displaced workers that because consumers saw lower prices, their unemployment worked out on balance. With AI, we should instead prepare our social safety net for the worst-case scenario.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

When FDR took office, nearly 1/4th of the workforce was unemployed and the economy was in free fall. His response was not to choose between recovery and workers. He recognized that empowering workers was essential to rebuilding the economy. 🧵

Franklin Delano Roosevelt holds up his hat while speaking into multiple microphones labeled NBC, WSBC, and BLU.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

But how to close the financing gap is not the only question. Reform should preserve the benefit guarantee that has made Social Security so stable for decades while expanding its protection for workers and families as the economy changes. Read the collection: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Sure, here is a suitable alt text: "Graphic featuring a quote about Social Security reform, emphasizing preserving guarantees and expanding protections for workers and families. Includes a photo of a person with the name Reynaldo Fuentes, Director, Strategic Initiatives, displayed at the bottom right."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

The way people report income matters too. @lenasimet.bsky.social shows how worker misclassification and pass-through business structures can treat economically similar income differently for Social Security purposes, and what closing those gaps would require. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

But eliminating the cap doesn't solve the problem by itself. Jonathan Schwabish explores what it could mean to draw more revenue from capital income, wealth, inheritances, and business income, and the trade-offs with each approach. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

The highest earners pay no Social Security tax on wages above $184,500. Eliminating this cap could close up to 67% of the program’s 75-year shortfall: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

The image features a quote discussing Social Security and its role in providing societal protection. The background is green with an abstract pattern. The top right corner displays "Good Life Residents." On the right, there is a portrait of a person labeled as Tyler Bond, identified as a Social Security Good Life Resident.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 08/09/2026

The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 for 17 years. Patrick Oakford shows how to restore it as a meaningful floor and put workers within reach of the living wages they deserve: raise it to two-thirds of median wages and index it to wage growth, reaching $20/hour by 2030 or $25 by 2038:

Here's a succinct alternative text description: Chart titled "A federal minimum wage that is two-thirds of median hourly wages would be:" shows four ranges of percentages of the median living wage threshold. Greater or equal to 100% in 6 states, 90%-100% in 16 states, 80%-90% in 10 states, 70%-80% in 13 states, and less than 70% in 6 states. Source: Author’s analysis based on Economic Policy Institute data.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 08/09/2026

New data shows that workers are getting the smallest share of the economic pie on record. On the heels of Labor Day, this decline makes the case for rebuilding worker power all the more urgent. One obvious place to start is raising the federal minimum wage. 🧵 www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

Graph showing the decline of labor share from 62% in 1947 to a record low of 52.8% in 2023. The graph indicates worker compensation compared to business earnings, sourced from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Organized labor has delivered for workers—both union and nonunion—higher wages, better healthcare, retirement benefits, and health and safety standards on the job. Unions also won the 8-hour workweek. It’s no coincidence that, amid their decline, leisure time has become more scarce.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Organized labor was once able to wield serious power and shape how the economy worked for all workers. But decades of corporate union-busting, so-called “right-to-work” laws, and weakened labor laws have gutted workers’ bargaining power.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Today is Labor Day—a day to celebrate the contributions of workers to our country. But it’s also a moment to reflect on how policymakers have failed workers. This week, we’ll be showing what an economy that works for working people requires, starting with unions:

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 04/09/2026

And when childcare falls through, mothers are more likely to pay the price at work. Mothers are 9.3% more likely than fathers to experience childcare-related work disruptions.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 04/09/2026

School is back. The childcare scramble isn’t over. For working parents, this often means figuring out who covers the hours school doesn’t: before school, after school, and all the days school is closed.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

NYC’s new click-to-cancel rule takes effect October 1, making it easier for New Yorkers to end unwanted subscriptions. Our @bradlipton.bsky.social broke down what the new rule could mean for consumers in a new segment for @scrippsnews.bsky.social. Watch 📺⬇️ www.scrippsnews.com/life/money/n...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

Government equity stakes can be a powerful tool for industrial policy, but only when they’re structured to advance the public interest. A new @politico.com piece cites our research on how public ownership done right can help advance climate, energy, and labor goals. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

A July report from the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank run by Elizabeth Wilkins, former chief of staff to Biden antitrust chief Lina Khan, argued that by taking government stakes in companies and securing seats with voting rights on corporate boards, the government could ensure that those companies actually deliver on the climate, energy and labor goals a Democratic president might pursue. And they could do so at far less government expense, more quickly than in the traditional federal grant and loan process, and with more political and economic upside than they got from the IRA.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

Tune in now! Our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social is live on @publiccitizen.bsky.social’s Informed Resistance podcast to discuss how our Good Life Agenda is an antidote to the growing concentration of corporate power and oligarchy. 🎧⬇️ fightcorporatepower.substack.com/live-stream/...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

This is not necessary for competitiveness. US companies already face lower effective corporate tax rates than firms in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Tax is just one factor in a business’s investment decisions, and it’s far from the most important.

A table showing effective corporate tax rates across key US trading partners from 2019 to 2021. Countries listed are Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, United States, and China. The data includes effective average tax rate and effective marginal tax rate for each year. The table indicates that the United States generally has lower tax rates compared to other countries listed. Data sourced from the Roosevelt Institute and OECD, created with Datawrapper.

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