The GOP’s Flawed Tax Plan, Frontiers of Worker Power, and More

1. Fool Me Once

In our new report, highlighted by Politico, Marshall Steinbaum and Eric Harris Bernstein explaining why the latest Republican tax plan would create a windfall for corporate shareholders and executives, fail to increase investment, and shift the burden to low-income consumers. Read more from Steinbaum on the plan’s biggest failings, and from Bernstein on the GOP’s frustrating week.

2. New Frontiers of Worker Power

In another new report, Michelle Miller and Eric Harris Bernstein make the case that to strengthen workers’ voices, we need forward-thinking reforms that address the growing power imbalance between firms and workers and the role of technology in organizing. Read the write-up at Deadspin, and check out Bernstein’s thoughts on the failed Puzder nomination for Labor Secretary.

3. Race and Racism in the Trump Era

Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong moderated a discussion between Fellows Dorian Warren and Andrea Flynn about how the Trump administration’s policies will affect communities of color, and why progressives should not be lured into a false choice between economics and “identity politics.”

4. A Bull in a China Shop

In Vanity Fair, Roosevelt Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz writes that American cannot win a trade war with China, and the biggest lie behind Trump’s promises to Make American Great Again is the idea that we can regain our post-WW2 position as the world’s unchallenged economic leader.

5. A Simple Health Care Fix for Students

Drawing from personal experience, Roosevelt @ Humboldt student Kimberly Manriquez proposes a tweak to the Affordable Care Act that would help students who attend college away from home—improving on a law that has extended insurance to millions despite its flaws.

What We’re Reading:

In The Washington Post, Bryce Covert highlights the Trump administration personnel who are determined to roll back the reforms of the New Deal and the Great Society, including Social Security, Medicare, the minimum wage, and fair housing laws.

Event:

On Thursday, February 23, the Roosevelt Institute will partner with General Assembly and the Economic Security Project to present “The Automated Workforce: The Future of Work and the Social Safety Net,” a panel and Q&A including Roosevelt VP Nell Abernathy.