This week at CBPP, we focused on the federal budget, housing, food assistance, and the economy.

• On the federal budget, Richard Kogan explained that the recent bipartisan budget deal still leaves non-defense appropriations below the 2010 level adjusted for inflation.
   
• On housing, Douglas Rice described why Congress should boost funding for the Housing Choice Voucher program given the budget deal.
   
• On food assistance, Joseph Llobrera explained why SNAP (food stamp) benefits fall short of what many participants need to buy food and prepare a healthy diet.
   
• On the economy, we updated our backgrounder on how many weeks of unemployment compensation are available, our chart book tracking the post-Great Recession economy, and our guide to statistics on historical trends in income inequality.

Chart of the Week — Non-Defense Discretionary Funding Remains Below 2010 Level Adjusted for Inflation

A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts this week. Here are some of the highlights:

How a Section 8 Experiment Could Reveal a Better Way to Escape Poverty
City Lab
August 4, 2019

Justice forms Census committee after urging
Parkersburg News and Sentinel
August 3, 2019

7 of Your Most Burning Questions on Social Security (With Answers)
New York Times
August 2, 2019

Rejection of Utah Medicaid Waiver a Cautionary Tale for Oklahoma
Public Radio Tulsa
August 2, 2019

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