Why Democrats Should Care About the National Debt

View this email in your browser

Progress Report

News, events, and must-read analysis from the Progressive Policy Institute.

Why Democrats Should Care About the National Debt

By Ben Ritz
Director of PPI's Center for Funding America’s Future
For The Wall Street Journal

After his election as House speaker, Mike Johnson said one of his top priorities was the creation of a bipartisan commission to tackle the national debt. It’s a good idea that nearly 70% of voters in both parties support. In September, Reps. Scott Peters (D., Calif.) and Bill Huizenga (R., Mich.) introduced the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023, and 198 House Republicans voted for it as part of a government funding bill. Here are five reasons why Democratic leaders in Congress and the Biden administration should join the push.

KEEP READING

Forward

New from the Experts

Erin Delaney, PPI's Director of Health Care Policy: Another Cycle, Another Win for Reproductive Rights
⮕ PPI Blog

Ben Ritz, PPI's Director of the Center for Funding America's Future: Senate Bill Builds on Momentum for Bipartisan Fiscal Commission
⮕ PPI Statement

Lindsay Lewis, PPI's Executive Director: Consumers Lose When Card Swipes Are Less Secure. That’s Exactly What One Bill Would Encourage
⮕ The Messenger

Early Decision Applications Face Uncertain Future, ft. Richard Kahlenberg, Senior Fellow at PPI
⮕ The Brown Daily Herald

Pharmacy Benefit Managers Expose Patients to Negative Health Outcomes, GHLF Updated Studies Shows, ft. Robert Popovian, Senior Fellow at PPI
⮕ Y ahoo Finance

Trade Fact of the Week: Military spending was 2.3% of world GDP last year
⮕ PPI's Trade Fact of the Week

It’s official: House Republicans put Trump first, not America

By Will Marshall
President of the Progressive Policy Institute
for The Hill

By installing Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), an ardent 2020 election denier, as Speaker without a single dissenting vote, House Republicans have erased any doubts about where their true loyalties lie.

Forget about “America First.” House Republicans have put Donald Trump first, abjectly surrendering to his seditious campaign to undermine Americans’ confidence in their democratic institutions.

Forward

NEW REPORT:
Medicaid and CHIP Redetermination: Mitigating Coverage Loss

America’s health insurance system is undergoing a massive disruption in coverage, specifically for adults enrolled in Medicaid and for children enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). On April 1, 2023, four months after the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ended, states resumed their Medicaid and CHIP redetermination process and since then, troubling data has been emerging from states about what is happening to the 93 million Americans — nearly one in four — who gained Medicaid or CHIP coverage during the health care emergency.

A new PPI policy brief, “Medicaid and CHIP Redetermination: Mitigating Coverage Loss,” analyzes the impact redetermination has had on healthcare coverage across the country. Report author Erin Delaney, PPI’s Director of Health Care, examines what actions have been taken at the federal level to mitigate coverage loss, the trends of current redetermination data, and policy changes that both states and the federal government can embrace to ensure that millions of Americans don’t fully lose their access to health coverage as the country transitions out of continuous coverage.

Listen Up

MOSAIC MOMENT:

What It's Really Like to Testify Before Congress

On this episode, Director of Mosaic, Jasmine Stoughton, sits down with Sara Nichols, Environment and Economic Development Director at the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, to share her experience testifying before Congress. Get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a Congressional hearing from the perspective of an expert witness.

Don't Miss These PPI Reports

Staff Spotlight: Max Sherrill

Max Sherrill
Communications Assistant

Max Sherrill is the new Communications Assistant at the Progressive Policy Institute. Prior to his arrival at PPI, Max worked on the press team in Congressman Eric Swalwell’s office, and also interned for a DC-based strategic communications firm. Max was raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and History. In addition to supporting his Tar Heels, Max is a lifelong fan of Atlanta Braves baseball, and in his free time likes to travel, golf and review movies.