Roosevelt Institute

2 June

We’ve spent decades told that if the economy grows, people’s lives will get better. Millions are working harder, paying more, and losing faith that institutions can deliver. Imagine an economy and democracy that actually make life better. That’s why today, we’re launching The #GoodLife Agenda. 🧵

Social Security is one of the most effective anti-poverty programs the federal government has ever run, and the foundation of economic security for millions. But its trust fund is on track to run out in 2032, and Congress has a real choice: cut benefits or strengthen the program's finances.

rooseveltinstitute.orgFunding Social Security with More Than Just Payroll TaxesFunding reform does not have to stop at wages. Jonathan Schwabish explores how capital income, wealth, inheritances, and business income could help strengthen Social Security.

Rebuilding Social Security also means looking at the economy that funds it. The payroll tax now covers just 82.5% of wages, down from 90% in 1983, as pay at the top has pulled away from everyone else's. Raising wages and strengthening unions would help restore that base.

rooseveltinstitute.orgSocial Security: Protecting America's Bedrock Social Program - Roosevelt InstituteOverview On June 8, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke before Congress and outlined his reasoning for the national program of social insurance: Fear and worry based on unknown danger contrib...

A depleted trust fund is far from inevitable. Congress has a six-year window to act. It can cut benefits, or it can rebuild the revenue base that pays into the program, so everyone gets the security they were promised. That choice will shape Social Security for millions of Americans.

rooseveltinstitute.orgFixing the Tax Max: Restoring Social Security’s Wage BaseA shrinking share of earnings contributes to Social Security. Tyler Bond examines how raising or eliminating the taxable maximum could strengthen the program’s finances.

Congress can rebuild Social Security's revenue without cutting a single benefit. Wages above $184,500 currently aren't subject to Social Security tax. Eliminating that cap alone could close up to 67% of the program's 75-year shortfall.

thecapitolforum.comYour Retirement Savings Could Buy Your Dentist - The Capitol ForumA contribution to The Forum: Your Retirement Savings Could Buy Your Dentist

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The Trump administration wants to open private equity investments to everyday Americans. But where would that money actually go? Not just Wall Street. Think your dentist, veterinarian, or kids’ soccer league. Our Director of Corporate Power, @bradlipton.bsky.social explains:

rooseveltinstitute.orgThe New Private Equity: Corporate Raider, Main Street Invader, Monopoly Builder, Shadow OwnerPrivate equity is no longer just about corporate takeovers. New research reveals how investors are buying everyday businesses, consolidating industries, and expanding their control over the economy wi...

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More money flowing into PE could accelerate that trend, concentrating industries, driving up prices or closing needed community businesses.

salon.comUS inequality is getting worse in ways you might not expect - Salon.comSome policies enacted more recently appear to be accelerating this trend

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Wealth inequality isn't inevitable. It's the result of policy choices, and Washington is still making it worse. As @salon.com reports, new @itep.org EP analysis finds Trump's policies have raised costs for everyone except the richest 1%.

rooseveltinstitute.orgReaganism Broke US Tax Brackets. It’s Time To Fix Them.The US once had dozens of income tax brackets. Samarth Gupta argues that restoring more brackets at the top would better address today’s extreme income inequality, raise revenue, and give policymakers...

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Our tax code is part of the problem. Since the Reagan era, we've slashed the number of income tax brackets, even as incomes at the very top have skyrocketed. New Roosevelt research from @samarthgupta.bsky.social shows why it's time to bring back more brackets and higher top rates.

rooseveltinstitute.orgTaking Account: The Fed as a Democratic Institution - Roosevelt Institute

🏛️ TODAY at 3 pm ET: With the Fed meeting this week, what would real accountability look like? @claudia-sahm.bsky.social moderates our Good Life Residents Christian Flores, @erinkaylockwood.bsky.social, and @estruby.bsky.social on what Congress can do. 🔗 Register:

rooseveltinstitute.orgThe Blueprint for a New Kind of Government Starts NowThis week's Roosevelt Rundown explores ideas for effective democratic government, universal childcare’s growing momentum, paid leave gaps, student debt, and AI costs.

Transforming government will require making it both more effective and more democratic. We’re doing the work to get there: redesigning institutions to actually serve the people. That and more in our weekly rundown: rooseveltinstitute.org/roosevelt-ru...

Roosevelt Institute reposted

Lena Bilik

@lbilik.bsky.social

Roosevelt’s latest research outlining an updated framing of private equity is a good reminder to keep our eyes open for private equity’s attempted infiltration in the care economy – especially as more and more states allocate additional public funding for childcare. (🧵):

Roosevelt Institute@rooseveltinstitute.org

Read the full report from @charlieeaton.bsky.social , Albina Gibadullina, Adam Goldstein, and Marie-Lou Laprise.

rooseveltinstitute.orgBiden-Era Industrial Investment Reached the Right Places, But Grants Need to Go Out Much FasterBiden-era industrial policies helped direct billions in clean energy investments to communities historically left behind. But new analysis finds that only half of promised federal grant funding has be...

Congress is weighing new permitting legislation, which makes this a good moment to ask what Biden-era industrial policy actually built, and where. In a new blog, @joepeck.co.uk looks at where IIJA, CHIPS, and IRA dollars went, and how much has been spent. 🧵 rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/biden-e...

Grants were designed to reach these places too. Many programs required a focus on disadvantaged communities, and per capita grant spending was higher there as a result. DOE funding to those counties grew from $80.7M in 2016 to $3.7B in 2025, per @urbaninstitute.bsky.social

But only half of the grant funding promised under Biden has been spent. In Texas, $0 of a $3.3B broadband grant has gone out. As permitting reform moves forward, the lesson is to build on what worked and get the money out quickly. Read the full piece: rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/biden-e...

Tax credits reached places markets usually skip. The poorest group of counties drew more clean manufacturing and energy investment than all other counties combined, nudged along by place-based bonuses like the IRA’s energy communities provision.

bettermarkets.orgRegister Today: State of Economic & Financial Policymaking Conference | Better MarketsFriday, October 23, 2026 | 10:00am - 4:30pm EST (Virtual and In-Person Attendance) Register to Attend Virtually This is a hybrid event. We are at max capacity for in-person attendance. Please email rs...

🏛️ Tomorrow at noon ET: Roosevelt President and CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social joins @bettermarkets.bsky.social President and CEO @denniskelleher.bsky.social for a conversation on the state and future of the US economy. 🔗 Register: bettermarkets.org/analysis/bet...

Nearly 1 in 3 working households has no retirement account at all. For millions, a secure retirement is already out of reach. Yet some want to put even more risk on workers by opening 401(k)s to risky investments like private equity and crypto.

rooseveltinstitute.orgThe Good Life AgendaThe Good Life Agenda shows what our economy and democracy could look like if all of us had access to the building blocks of economic security and prosperity, and how we can get there.

A secure retirement shouldn't depend on becoming a Wall Street expert in your spare time. A retirement system built for working households would start with expanding access to workplace plans and strengthening the public floor under Social Security. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

New: Private equity has grown far beyond its traditional focus on restructuring big corporations. @charlieeaton.bsky.social & coauthors map 4 roles it plays in our economy: Corporate Raider, Main Street Invader, Monopoly Builder, and Shadow Owner. @ewarren.bsky.social explains why this matters: 🧵

And as PE-owned companies are increasingly sold to larger firms, it can become harder to track who controls them. Using data on nearly 57,000 buyouts and 21,000+ exits from 1985 to 2019, the paper maps how these strategies have reshaped corporate ownership.

Read the full report from @charlieeaton.bsky.social , Albina Gibadullina, Adam Goldstein, and Marie-Lou Laprise.

Increasingly, firms are moving into healthcare, childcare, housing, and education, acquiring businesses that workers, families, and communities rely on. The shift brings profit-maximizing ownership into the heart of Main Street.

The strategy extends beyond individual businesses. By buying competitors and combining them into larger chains, PE firms are driving industry consolidation and concentrating ownership across the economy.

Private equity’s original playbook centered on buying publicly traded companies, restructuring them, and selling them for a profit. That remains part of the story, but the industry’s center of gravity has shifted.

Social Security’s trust fund runs short in 2032, and there are many fixes that don’t cut benefits. Our Rey Fuentes went on @535news.bsky.social to explain why the answer is increasing revenue instead. One idea for starters: Eliminate the tax max. 535.news/interviews/r...

Wages above $184,500 are not taxed for Social Security. As incomes become increasingly unequal, that means only 82.6% of covered earnings are taxed, down from 90% in 1983. Our Good Life resident Tyler Bond shows how scrapping the cap could close up to two-thirds of the shortfall.

rooseveltinstitute.orgTaking Account: The Fed as a Democratic Institution - Roosevelt Institute

Join us: Monday, 10/26 @ 3 pm ET: “Taking Account: The Fed as a Democratic Institution.” With the Warsh-led Fed communicating less, @claudia-sahm.bsky.social joins Christian Flores, @erinkaylockwood.bsky.social, and @estruby.bsky.social on how Congress can make it more accountable. 🔗 🏛️ Register:

Roosevelt Institute reposted

Lena Bilik

@lbilik.bsky.social

Today is Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day. Disabled mothers make just 44 cents on the dollar to nondisabled fathers. Meanwhile, they do more with less, & hold the brunt of caregiving duties. Abolish the subminimum wage to ensure more disabled mothers can thrive: livingwageforall.org/call

livingwageforall.orgLiving Wage For All — One Job Should Be EnoughA 100+ organization coalition winning a $25 federal living wage. The Living Wage For All Act — H.R. 8555 in the House, Senate companion led by Sen. Chris Murphy — is in Congress. 11 states. 13 campaig...

Roosevelt Institute reposted

Molly Coleman

@mollycoleman.bsky.social

“This is a group that built its reputation on making Biglaw squirm, so we’d love to see what happens when they take that energy to this federal government.” Nice write-up from Above the Law on PPP’s move to @rooseveltinstitute.org. abovethelaw.com/2026/10/peop...

abovethelaw.comPeople’s Parity Project Is Joining The Roosevelt Institute To Build A Progressive Legal Pipeline - Above the LawThe group that made forced arbitration a recruiting liability has bigger plans.

cnbc.comCollege was supposed to be ‘good debt.’ For many borrowers, it isn’t paying offRising college costs, growing student debt, changing repayment rules and a tougher job market are challenging the idea that student loans are "good debt."

With tuition rising and jobs disappearing, college just isn’t paying off like it used to. “The number of rejections you face in a world where AI screens workers, and many applicants are mass applying via AI, would spin the heads of someone who graduated five years ago.” — @mikemadowitz.bsky.social

politico.com‘You Barely Understand Regular Money’: Why Young Men Keep GamblingPolitics isn't ready for the rise of easy-access gambling platforms.

When $10,000 can’t buy a house, a lot of young men are asking: why not gamble it? Rising prices and falling real wages are feeding a financial nihilism, and a wave of easy-access betting apps and prediction markets is there to meet it. But median users of those platforms lose money on net.

rooseveltinstitute.orgThe Hidden House: Prediction Markets and How They’re Shaping SocietyPrediction markets offering contracts on virtually every topic—from sports and politics to weather and current events—are one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. Their spreading po...

Our research on prediction markets shows the same pattern. Since Kalshi’s launch, ordinary users have lost half a billion dollars, while professionals capture the bulk of the gains. Our series, The Hidden House, looks at who wins, who loses, and what rules we need to govern this nascent industry.

Corporate profits are at record highs, but corporate tax revenue fell by about $70 billion this year. Why? Because last year's tax cuts let companies write off new investments immediately for the hundreds of billions in AI buildouts they were already planning. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/b...

rooseveltinstitute.orgBeyond Who Pays More: How Taxes Form the Foundation of Our Economy and DemocracyIn order to understand how to evaluate the coming deluge of tax policy proposals, we must engage in a deeper question: how our tax code structures the very foundations of our economy and democracy.

Corporate taxes now make up just 6 percent of federal revenue, compared to nearly one-third in the 1950s. Taxes are democratic infrastructure. A fair code funds the safety net, checks concentrated wealth, and builds trust that government answers to everyone.

Roosevelt Institute reposted

Lena Bilik

@lbilik.bsky.social

Mayor Mamdani just announced further expansion of 2K, continuing to make NYC part of a growing movement of local leaders agreeing that childcare is an affordability crisis that we can no longer ignore. These leaders understand that investing in childcare = investing in our current & future economy.

washingtonsun.comTrump Aides Are Getting Ready to Penalize Defaulting Student Loan BorrowersTreasury officials are seeking ways to minimize the impact on vulnerable borrowers.

The administration is reportedly preparing to hire private debt collectors to go after the nearly 10 million Americans in default on their federal student loans. Once again, they throw the rulebook at low-income Americans while letting grift and corruption fly for the well-connected.

A good life requires having the time to actually live it: to care for a child, recover from illness, or be there for an ailing parent. Right now, whether you get that time depends on your job. And the workers who can least afford to lose income are the ones least likely to have paid leave.

That's not a personal failure or a bad employer, it's a rationed benefit in a country with no floor under it. A universal paid leave system would change that: every worker gets the time and security to care for themselves and their families, not just the ones whose employer opted in.

rooseveltinstitute.orgIntroducing the Lawyers Unrigging the EconomyThe People’s Parity Project joins Roosevelt, plus new analysis on Black homeownership, the racial wealth gap, jobs, AI regulation, and surveillance pricing in this week's Roosevelt Rundown.

#ICYMI: The People’s Parity Project is joining the Roosevelt team “After having spent a decade redefining the charge of economic policymakers, Roosevelt is now working to transform the legal profession into one that can deliver for the working class.” That and more in our weekly rundown: ⬇️

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.

Childcare should be treated as public infrastructure, not just another private expense. A universal public childcare system can make care affordable for families while ensuring providers have the resources they need and workers earn family-sustaining wages.

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...

nytimes.comMamdani Enters Deal with N.Y.U. to Share Profits from Quantum LabMayor Zohran Mamdani said that in exchange for a $30 million city investment, New York would get 15 percent of proceeds from projects developed in the quantum technology lab.

Just this week, @mayor.nyc.gov showed what that could look like at the local level. NYC is investing $30M in a new quantum lab at NYU and will receive 15% of the IP proceeds. New Yorkers help build a frontier industry and get a return when it succeeds.

rooseveltinstitute.orgBuilding Up in 2029: How to Make Green Statecraft DurableExplore 17 essays on durable US climate and industrial policy after Inflation Reduction Act rollbacks, covering governance, planning, finance, and production.

Ideas like this are at the heart of our Building Up in 2029 compendium, led by our @toddntucker.com: 17 essays on how public investment, from equity stakes to sovereign wealth funds to public factories, can build a durable clean energy economy.

rebrand.lyFDR's Legacy is Alive & Well w/Roosevelt Institute CEO Elizabeth WilkinsYou Earned This: The Social Security & Medicare Podcast! · Episode

FDR’s visionary leadership gave Americans Social Security over 90 years ago. Now, some policymakers treat benefit cuts as inevitable, when they would be a deliberate choice. For @ncpssm.bsky.social, our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social explains how to protect benefits in full. Listen below 🎧⬇️

NCPSSM@ncpssm.bsky.social

On this week's podcast, Roosevelt Institute CEO Elizabeth Wilkins says we CAN fund #SocialSecurity for the future without benefit cuts. Elizabeth also says that in these troubled times, people crave the kind of visionary leadership that Franklin D. Roosevelt provided. LISTEN HERE: rebrand.ly/8fe5cd

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...