Economic Policy/Justice / Public News Service

Rising foreign costs and the chance of supply-chain disruptions have some manufacturing companies considering reshoring operations back to the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Report: AR labor costs attract companies hoping to reshore operations

More jobs could be coming to Arkansas as companies interested in bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. consider the Natural State, according …

Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and individual states, with each state managing its own program within federal guidelines. (Oleksandre/Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Nonprofits warn proposed Medicaid cuts could devastate millions of Missourians

About 1.3 million Missourians are currently enrolled in Medicaid and nonprofits around the state have warned proposed federal cuts would be devastatin…

Nebraska harvested 9.5 million acres of corn in 2023, making it the third-largest corn producing state in the country. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

Nebraska farm leaders call for 'trade de-escalation'

Nebraska farm leaders are asking the Trump administration and the European Union to deescalate a trade war developing over tariffs. The National …

Good-government groups have long argued that in American democracy, one citizen - not one dollar - should equal one vote. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

Report: SCOTUS to blame for money pouring into elections

Outside groups spent more than $45 million in congressional races across the Commonwealth, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. It's …

Midwest researchers say a deduction in the 2017 federal tax cut law has boosted the economic activity generated by agriculture cooperatives. In 2022, they say it led to $1.25 billion in economic impact in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

SD research: Power of ag co-ops intersects with controversial tax law

A new study says agriculture co-ops are a strong economic force in states like South Dakota - but their future is murky, because of federal tax cuts …

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) represents 30,000 state employees in Maryland. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

MD unions push for bill to strengthen bargaining process

Maryland state employees are rallying behind a bill that would provide binding arbitration when unions and employers bargain. Current Maryland law …

Ohio's median home price increased by 14% from 2020 to 2024, making affordability a growing factor in migration decisions. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

Ohio struggles to retain young adults

By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration. Around 1,000 more people …

Boonville's downtown historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

IN small town grants spur growth, development projects

By Mitzi S. Morris for the Indiana Capital Chronicle.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Indiana News Service reporting for the Indiana Capital …

If passed, the bipartisan Farm Ownership Improvement Act would allow the USDA up to two years to create and fully implement a pre-qualification or pre-approval process that addresses the needs of young farmers and ranchers. (asafaric/Adobe Stock)

Monday, March 31, 2025

Bipartisan bill could improve land access for new PA farmers

Despite a federal funding freeze, a newly proposed bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate could enhance loan programs for farmers. Backers say in …

With more people in need, charities must stretch limited resources, increasing financial strain, especially in rural communities. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

Rural MO charity braces for 'ripple effects' of federal cuts

Rural communities in Missouri are bracing for a tough reality as they plan ahead for the possibility of federal cuts to programs such as Medicaid…

A C5 Galaxy cargo jet taxis to the runway at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Green County, Ohio, which employs more than 20,000 federal workers. (Adobe Stock)

Federal job cuts could affect thousands of Ohio workers

A report indicated layoffs in federal agencies by the ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency could affect a significant number of Ohioans and subs…

There are close to 19,000 federal workers in Iowa, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many have been laid off as part of an aggressive effort by the Trump administration to downsize the government. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa town halls find 'empty chairs'

Overflow crowds are showing up at town hall meetings in Iowa, which had been planned to allow people to ask questions of their congressional …

Lumina Foundation research predicts that by 2031, 72% of U.S. jobs will require some form of higher education or skills training beyond high school. (Marius Venter/Adobe Stock)

TN works to encourage more people to earn degrees, credentials

Tennessee is working to get more people into college and career training programs, which the state says will be needed for good jobs in the future…

Reducing new clean energy projects would increase air pollution in Texas by over 17 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2030 and 83 million metric tons in 2035, equivalent to the annual air pollution from four and 21 coal-fired power plants, respectively. (Andrii/Adobe Stock)

Report: Cuts to Inflation Reduction Act would impact TX economy

Texas would be one of five states to suffer the most if the Trump administration repeals the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a report from the …

A new poll found large majorities of Americans, across party lines, see Medicaid as

WA caregivers rally against Medicaid cuts

This week, workers who provide in-home and nursing home care rallied against cuts to Medicaid. Washington's Medicaid, known as Apple Health…

President Donald Trump's executive order firing half the employees at the U.S. Department of Education is expected to lead some states to prioritize charter schools and private school vouchers over public schools. (wavebreak3/Adobe Stock)

MI expert analyzes Trump's Department of Education executive order

With the stroke of a pen Thursday, President Donald Trump's executive order officially fired 1,300 U.S. Department of Education employees. The move …

PoliChic Engagement Fund says it's critical Texans make sure lawmakers are voting in their public interest. (JHVEPhoto/Adobe Stock)

Texans encouraged to use their voices during current legislative session

Many Texans feel strongly, one way or another, about the proposed school voucher bill before state lawmakers. Gov. Greg Abbott has proposed a plan to …

High school students are getting a head start on careers in the

Program trains underserved high school students for 'data economy'

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for Virginia News Connection reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News…

The Department of Education has reduced its workforce by nearly 50%, laying off approximately 1,300 employees, with an additional 600 either accepting separation packages or being dismissed during their probationary period. (Photo courtesy of OEA)

Ohio educators alarmed over proposed elimination of DOE

The potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has sparked concern in Ohio. Threatened moves by the Trump administration's so-called …

Some 557 Colorado schools serving more than 206,293 students are projected to be affected by a proposed $12 billion in cuts to federal school meal funding. (Adobe Stock)

Blowback on GOP's proposed cuts to school meal programs

Children's advocates are crying foul after House Republicans called for $12 billion in cuts to school meal programs, including the Community …

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 325-thousand Marylanders are members of a union. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Unions surge as Trump admin takes aim at labor watchdog

Since 2021, union elections in Maryland and across the country have more than doubled - and union election wins are at a 15-year high. But …

Oregon's older population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, with more than 45% of older adults projected to be people of color by 2050. (moodboard/Adobe Stock)

Bill would offer a blueprint for an aging Oregon

Oregon's population, along with the rest of the country, is getting older. Within 10 years there will be more Oregonians age 65 and older than …

Expanded oil and gas subsidies, included in current versions of upcoming federal tax legislation, would support a massive expansion of LNG projects to more than double national export capacity by 2030. (Jeeraphun/Adobe Stock)

Religious leaders gather in TX to fight oil and gas subsidies

Forty religious leaders from different denominations gathered in Texas this week to call for an end to fossil-fuel subsidies and expansion of related …

Family caregivers spend on average more than $7,200 annually - 26% of their income - on out-of-pocket expenses. (Adobe Stock)

Doubling down on care: Ohio’s push for caregiver tax relief

In a significant development for family caregivers across America, AARP is spearheading initiatives at both federal and state levels to provide tax …

The Grocery Tax Relief Act will eliminate the state grocery tax but have no effect on county and municipal grocery taxes. (Drazen/Adobe Stock)

AR food tax could be going away

Organizations working to fight food insecurity across Arkansas support two bills before state legislators. The Grocery Tax Relief Act would repeal …

Faculty unionization in higher education has increased 7.5% from 2012 to 2024. (Adobe Stock)

MD bill may give faculty the right to unionize

Professors on college campuses across the country are unionizing at increasingly higher rates and a bill in the Maryland General Assembly may help the…

Workers covered by a union contract earn 10.2% more than nonunionized counterparts on average, and are more likely to have employer-provided health and retirement benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Report: 1943 law suppressed Colorado union membership rates

A Colorado law passed in 1943 amid intense big-business and white-supremacist campaigns to block worker organizing has suppressed unionization in the …

One of several major concerns expressed in a statement signed by nearly 1,000 American political scientists is the Trump administration's transferal of some federal responsibilities to people who are

'Democracy is not a business,' warns MT political scientist

Nearly 1,000 political scientists from across the U.S., including Montana, have signed a statement expressing how they feel the Trump …

MO advocates join fight against corporate influence in agriculture

Advocates for small independent farmers in Missouri and around the nation are sounding the alarm about the effects of corporate agriculture on farmers…

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped lawsuits against major financial groups, including Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, and Rocket Homes. (Adobe Stock)

VA advocates chart new path without consumer rights watchdog

Consumer advocates in Virginia and around the country are trying to chart a new path forward as a federal consumer rights watchdog is being effectivel…

Farmers and ranchers say they feel uncertain about their futures because of executive orders that have impacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Lightfield Studios/Adobe Stock)

Federal funding freeze impacts AR farmers

Farmers and ranchers in Arkansas are voicing frustration and concern surrounding funding freezes and layoffs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture…

In some areas, Medicaid funding pays a portion of the school nurse's salary. (Adobe Stock)

Medicaid cuts could threaten schools supports in NJ

As federal government spending cuts loom, advocates for keeping Medicaid intact are calling attention to how the funding is used in public schools…

During the Great Depression, the U.S. enacted the

Data, history show mass deportations harm U.S. economy

As nationwide deportation efforts continue, new research examined the labor market of a past president to help forecast what could happen if …

Research: Mass deportations don't create more U.S. jobs

As nationwide deportation efforts continue, new research examined the labor market of a past president to help forecast what could happen if …

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled four times, starting with the DeRolph decision in 1997, that the state's method of funding schools violates the state constitution, prompting ongoing efforts to reform the system. (jovannig/Adobe Stock)

Multiyear fight for fair school funding in Ohio continues

Despite being four years into Ohio's six-year Fair School Funding Plan, it has yet to receive full funding. Advocates of the plan are pushing for …

Nearly a third of working-age Washington households have earnings which do not meet the minimum<br />cost of living. (Johannes/Adobe Stock)

Bills aim to revamp WA's regressive tax codes

A package of legislation in Olympia aims to reduce growing wealth inequality by reforming Washington's tax code. With the nation's second-most …

FL advocates push back against corporate dominance in agriculture

Advocates for small independent farmers and ranchers in Florida are sounding the alarm about the effects of corporate agriculture on their land and lo…

During a recent American Federation of Teachers-Texas town hall meeting, educators from around the state, including former Department of Education employees, said they are confused by some of the job and spending cuts already made. (ahmed/Adobe Stock AI)

TX educators eye changes at the Department of Education

Educators in Texas are concerned about the Trump administration's plans to dismantle the Department of Education. One of the Department's primary …

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, in 2023, 12% of people in West Virginia prisons were over age 55, and the average age of state prisoners was 39. (Adobe Stock/AI)

Bill to increase penalties could overpopulate WV prisons

A bill pending in the West Virginia Legislature would increase the length of penalties for "serious" felony convictions, but critics have said it …

Colorado's 20 Community Health Centers provide primary care to 857,000 patients, employ over 7,500 people and contribute $1.7 billion to the state's economy each year. (Adobe Stock)

Cuts to Medicaid considered to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts

The budget resolution recently passed by the U.S. House calls for cutting $2 trillion in government spending to extend tax cuts passed during the …

About 13% of Montana's workers were represented by unions in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Adobe Stock)

MT union workers celebrate failure of anti-union bill

Union workers across Montana are celebrating the death of a bill which would have given employees the right to choose whether to join a union when hir…

The U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, employs about 120 people, many of whom are facing layoffs. (Adobe Stock)

Nebraska USDA workers face unprecedented layoffs

Mass layoffs by the Trump administration are cutting into essential services across the federal government. In Nebraska, that includes overseeing …

Scranton received $68.7 million in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. (Brandon/Adobe Stock)

Scranton mayor puts bipartisan infrastructure law funding to work

A Pennsylvania city is leveraging funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve road safety, housing, and more. The largest …

Volunteer lobbyists next Tuesday will encourage legislators to improve the infrastructure needed to address homelessness across the state. (Adobe Stock)

Volunteer lobbyists to press Colorado lawmakers on homelessness

Coloradans who want to help move the needle on homelessness can still sign up for a lobbying day next Tuesday at the State Capitol. Cathy Alderman…

Ohio is home to more than 83,000 federal employees. All of them reportedly recently received an email from the Office of Personnel Management, asking for details on what they accomplish at work. (Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons)

DOGE, OPM demands shake up federal workers in OH and beyond

The federal workforce in Ohio numbers more than 83,000 and many say they're reeling after weeks of job cuts and a demand from Elon Musk, his …

A total of 195,972 Arkansas households are impoverished and another 366,907 are defined as ALICE. (Andrii/Adobe Stock)

More AR families rely on Child Tax Credit

By Wesley Brown for the Arkansas Delta Informer.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Arkansas News Service reporting for The Arkansas Delta Informer-Wi…

With the closure of the CFPB, new rules to curb excessive bank overdraft fees and prevent medical debt from limiting creditworthy borrowers from accessing credit will not take effect. (Nattakorn/Adobe Stock) <br />

OR consumers face more financial risks with CFPB closure

Seven members of Oregon's congressional delegation have signed a letter demanding protection for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to enable …

President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imports from China earlier this month and the Chinese government imposed 15% counter tariffs on goods imported from the U.S. into China. (Adobe Stock)

WI farmer shares firsthand experience with Trump tariffs

By Olivia Herken for the Wisconsin Independent.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Wisconsin Indep…

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