Elections Student loans

Do Americans prefer Harris’s or Trump’s student loan policy?

Comparing the candidates’ student loan policies President Biden has made student loan forgiveness one of his largest domestic policy priorities. In August 2022, he announced a plan to forgive about $430 billion of student loan debt for more than 40 million borrowers, but the Supreme Court blocked that plan in June 2023 for exceeding executive […]

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Elections Immigration

Do Americans prefer Harris’s or Trump’s immigration policy?

Comparing the candidates’ immigration policies Americans have long considered immigration to be one of the most important policy issues. Unprecedented surges in illegal border crossings during the first half of the Biden administration have raised immigration to an even higher priority than usual with U.S. voters. An August 2024 Economist/You Gov poll found that 87 percent […]

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Abortion Elections

Do Americans prefer Harris’s or Trump’s abortion policy?

Comparing the candidates’ abortion policies After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion was expected to be a key issue in the 2024 Presidential election. Other issues now seem more important to voters, as an August 2024 Economist/You Gov poll found that only 75 percent of respondents considered abortion to be important, which […]

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Gun regulation

Should Congress pass a bump stock ban?

A Congressional bump stock ban likely would not have bipartisan public support, would have uncertain effectiveness, and almost certainly would face Constitutional challenges that could invalidate the ban On June 14, the Supreme Court invalidated a ban on firearm bump stocks that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) had imposed in 2019. The Trump […]

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Immigration

Mexican border wall standoff in the debt ceiling negotiations

It is unsurprising that the Biden administration and the Democratic-majority Senate, on the one hand, and the Republican-majority House of Representatives, on the other hand, are having trouble agreeing on appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024. If they cannot agree by October 1, they will need to pass a short-term continuing resolution or there will be […]

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Welfare

Work requirements in the bipartisan debt ceiling bill

The SNAP and TANF work requirements in the debt ceiling bill have bipartisan support and may both increase employment rates among less vulnerable groups and reduce poverty rates among a few more vulnerable groups. However, the effects of the new work requirements on Black Americans, in particular, should be carefully monitored. The recent bipartisan debt […]

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Health Insurance Immigration

President Biden’s proposal to offer public health insurance to DACA recipients

The Biden administration’s proposal to allow DACA recipients to obtain public health insurance would help reduce insurance and health disparities among Latinx Americans at a relatively reasonable cost, but would be politically divisive and would share the DACA program’s uncertain future in the courts, although it should not add to that uncertainty. The Biden administration […]

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Elections

Election day 2022 recap: A good day for moderates

On Election Day, Americans elected 34 U.S. senators (with Georgia’s election going to a runoff), 435 U.S. representatives, 36 governors, and members of 88 of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers. They also voted on dozens of ballot proposals. Overall, the results were generally favorable for moderates. The U.S. Congress will be divided, with Democrats […]

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Education

Arizona’s school voucher law

Although the effectiveness of school vouchers is still unproven, there is plurality support across parties for these programs and the equity and legal issues seem manageable The largest school voucher program in U.S. history recently took effect in Arizona. The new law will give parents who send their child to a private or parochial school […]

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Student loans

President Biden’s student loan forgiveness

It helps to address equity issues among current borrowers, but does not address college affordability going forward, is more expensive than the White House has admitted, has a questionable legal basis, and is opposed by a narrow majority of Republicans On August 24, President Biden announced his intention to take executive action to cancel up […]

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