Publications

A provision in the Budget Reconciliation package would require precertification for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), delaying refunds and creating audit-like hurdles for millions of low-income families. The change targets those who earn the least, while leaving far larger sources of revenue—like wealthy individuals and corporations—untouched.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid provide support to nearly one-third of people in our country. The reconciliation bill passed by the House in May 2025 takes away $1 trillion in food & health care from families participating in SNAP and Medicaid, while giving roughly the same amount of money in tax cuts to families with incomes above $500,000. This fact sheet examines the unfair trade-offs made in the House-passed reconciliation bill, showing that the bill will exacerbate already extreme levels of income inequality across every state.

The workbook contains all statistics and information underlying the figures, including state-by-state data.

Programs that help families meet their basic needs are part of the fabric that keep communities stable. Massive cuts at the government agency that stands up for kids put that stability at risk. The Administration for Children and Families—the division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that oversees programs such as Head Start, child care subsidies, adoption support, domestic violence prevention, and energy assistance—has lost 40 percent of its staff in just three months. This reflection by a former leader at ACF explores the impact of the recent cuts and makes the case for protecting and investing in children.

This AANHPI Heritage Month, we’re shining a light on the long history of AANHPI labor—often essential, too often invisible. From building railroads in the 1800s to driving rideshares today, AANHPI workers have shaped the nation while facing exploitation and erasure. This timeline connects our past to our present to ensure our labor and stories are seen, valued, and remembered.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid are lifelines for millions, providing food and health coverage that stabilize families and strengthen communities. Cuts to these critical programs will hit children, seniors, and people in rural communities particularly hard. While cuts to either program would each be harmful on their own, slashing both will compound hardship and deepen poverty for the millions of people who rely on both programs. This fact sheet explores the deeply negative impacts that broad-based cuts will have on the effectiveness of the programs, the states administering them, and the people they serve—especially seniors, children, and people in rural communities.

Work requirements in public benefits programs don’t help people work. They block access to food, health care, and housing assistance, making families and local economies worse off. This brief illustrates how work reporting requirements fail to increase work while straining state resources and imposing harmful and costly burdens on all. The brief also provides an overview of better alternatives that would be more effective at supporting employment and reducing poverty.

A year ago, I stepped into my role as Executive Director of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality. As I reflect on the past year, I find myself returning to the image of braiding sweetgrass—an Indigenous tradition that symbolizes interconnectedness, care, and reciprocity. Braiding requires three strands: the past, the present, and the future. Over the past year in my work at GCPI, we have woven these strands together to strengthen our work, our relationships, and our impact.

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) has been one of the most effective tools in reducing child poverty and supporting working families. The cash it provides to families improves economic stability and well-being for millions of children, helping ensure they have enough food, clothing, school supplies, and stable housing. This fact sheet highlights the critical role of the CTC in reducing poverty and outlines the five components of an effective CTC. By strengthening the CTC, we can build a future where every child has the resources they need to thrive.

For generations, Black leaders have played a pivotal role in advancing economic justice. Their work—often met with resistance—has laid the groundwork for many of the anti-poverty programs that millions rely on today. This blog highlights key Black anti-poverty leader who have fought to address systemic poverty through labor organizing, reproductive justice, and direct action.

In its first week, the Trump administration executed a chaotic and aggressive policy blitz, issuing more than 300 executive actions. These actions signal a stark shift in federal priorities—one that threatens to erode the economic security of millions of Americans. The message is loud and clear: The war against poverty is over, and Americans struggling to get by are on their own.