CEPR

We have a year’s worth of economic data since Liberation Day, when President Trump announced much higher tariffs on most imported goods and countries, and the data are definitive; the tariffs have done significant damage to the economy. Since that day, job growth has come to a standstill, with only the non-traded healthcare industry adding meaningfully to payrolls. Also, since that day, inflation has accelerated, with the consumer expenditure deflator increasing at a 3% year-over-year pace, up from 2.5% before the tariffs and well above the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. And the trend lines don’t look good, especially as the economic fallout from the Iran War hits with full force. The higher energy and other commodity prices caused by the war threaten to do even more economic damage than the tariffs, further undermining growth and pushing inflation higher. The U.S. economy is resilient, but just how resilient is set to be tested.

Since the start of the Trump administration’s sanctions in Cuba, the infant mortality rate has increased by 148%. Cutting Cubans off from healthcare, safe food, potable water, and security is dangerous and reckless. To pursue their imperialistic agenda, our government is violating U.S. and international law and harming our neighbors. We must put an end to sanctions and to the blockade.

"A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that U.S. sanctions imposed on Cuba at the start of the first Trump administration were 'likely the primary cause' for the increase in the infant mortality rate on the island." @latimes latimes.com/delos/story/20…

The data is clear: declining unionization means lower wages, fewer benefits, less job security and growing inequality. But 68% of Americans support unions. 60% say their decline hurts the country. 62% say it hurts workers. Growing the labor movement should be a national priority to support both economic justice and democratic accountability. #majorityagenda #mayday Read: cepr.net/publications/i…

Since 1985, union membership has been cut nearly in half, from 18% to just 10% in 2025. Every single state declined except Vermont. With the Trump administration accelerating attacks at the federal level, states and localities must now become the frontline for building and defending worker power. cepr.net/publications/s…

It's #MayDay and most workers, especially those in Florida, have little to celebrate. For years, lawmakers have steadily dismantled their ability to organize. In her latest article, CEPR's @hayleycbbrown documents the damage: SB 256 banned payroll dues deductions and forced costly recertifications. Now SB 1296 treats non-votes as votes against unions. Over 63K workers have already lost representation. 🧵 cepr.net/publications/f…

#NEW: CEPR's April 2026 #SanctionsWatch: - Trump admin unleashes a blockade against 🇮🇷 - Dems push back on military threats against 🇨🇺 - US Treasury eases central bank sanctions on 🇻🇪 - Trump admin renews waiver allowing 🇷🇺 oil purchases cepr.net/publications/c…

It's shameful that CEOs are making 285 times more than the workers who keep their companies running on starvation wages. We need to take on corporate greed and pass the Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act.

NEW: Nearly half of all consumer spending growth last quarter was just people paying more for health care. Meanwhile spending at hotels and restaurants fell for the second quarter in a row. People are cutting back. And despite a 67% surge in computer investment, business output grew just 1.5%. The AI boom is not showing up in workers' paychecks or productivity. The bottom line is that Trump's current term #GDP growth sits at just 1.99%. @deanbaker13 has the full #Q1 breakdown. cepr.net/publications/f…

But they promised! cepr.net/publications/t…

NEW: Tomorrow's Q1 #GDP report may show ~2% growth, but most of it comes from government war spending and a bounceback from the shutdown, not real economic strength. 🚩Consumer spending is flat. 🚩Housing is still falling. 🚩Inflation is rising. The data center boom is propping up investment, but that won't last forever. Take a look what @deanbaker13 expects before the numbers drop. cepr.net/publications/g…

Federal Income Taxes Paid By Tesla: 2025: $0 2024: $0 2022: $0 2021: $0 Tesla's profits during those years: $14 billion Musk's effective tax rate from 2014-2018: 3.27% Tax rate of a nurse: 13.3% Tax rate of a school teacher: 9.8% Tax rate of a truck driver: 8.4% That's wild.

Earlier this month, CEPR senior research fellow @ecuarauz and senior research associate @Ivana_V_L led a panel on IMF surveillance of capital flight at the @IMFNews/@WorldBankGroup's Spring Meetings. Catch the full recording and learn more here 👇cepr.net/publications/p…

.@repdeliaramirez and @Analilia_Mejia are right to call for raising the federal minimum to $25 and banning the tipped wage—maintaining $7.25/$2.13 as floors lets businesses get away with legally keeping people in poverty. Hopefully, the bill builds in increases to keep up with the cost of living. Allow for periodic assessment to make sure it is still a meaningful floor that provides for an increase in the standard of living for the lowest earners. The good news: most voters support both of these policies. Given that, there's no GOOD reason why Congress can't get it done. #majorityagenda cepr.net/publications/t…

Passing the PRO Act and investing in the NLRB so it can actually ENFORCE the rules is what it looks like when government works for workers instead of against them. 68% of Americans support unions. Our laws should too. #MajorityAgenda bit.ly/4tZ2OyO

It bums me out that we have the resources to fix our society, stop our reliance on fossil fuels, guarantee healthcare, house the homeless, and feed every person in the country, but doing so would be a bad time for like, 8 dudes, so we can’t do it.

The Trump administration cancelled major energy projects across 16 states just because they voted for Kamala Harris and not Trump. Their own lawyers even admitted they targeted blue states. I called Trump’s Energy Secretary out on it. Our states pay taxes and I won’t stand for this kind of garbage.