Ben Olinsky

Senior Vice President, Structural Reform and Governance; Senior Fellow

he/him

Ben Olinsky is the senior vice president of Structural Reform and Governance and a senior fellow on the Economy team at American Progress. He rejoined American Progress after serving as the special assistant to the president for labor and workforce policy under former President Barack Obama. At the White House, Olinsky helped craft the president’s agenda for labor and employment issues, including raising wages, expanding worker voice, protecting worker safety and health, advancing equal pay, combating discrimination, promoting paid leave, and creating pathways to jobs and opportunity. He coordinated federal efforts to update overtime protections and led the development and implementation of executive actions to raise wages, expand paid leave, and improve labor standards for federal contractors and employees. Olinsky was previously a senior fellow at American Progress, where he led the Middle-Out Economics project, researching and publishing policies to strengthen the middle class and reduce income inequality. Before his time at the White House and American Progress, Olinsky served as the legislative director for former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) and as the senior economic adviser for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).

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CAP Files Amicus Curiae Briefs Highlighting Importance of the Inflation Reduction Act in Lowering Drug Prices Article

CAP Files Amicus Curiae Briefs Highlighting Importance of the Inflation Reduction Act in Lowering Drug Prices

These briefs emphasize the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare prescription drug price negotiation program for affordability and health equity.

Developing Accountability Mechanisms for AI Systems Is Critical to the Development of Trustworthy AI Article

Developing Accountability Mechanisms for AI Systems Is Critical to the Development of Trustworthy AI

CAP submitted comments on how the National Telecommunications and Information Administration should develop a national framework for AI accountability to address the unmitigated risks of artificial intelligence and ensure that all AI technology is developed and deployed in safe and trustworthy ways.

Adam Conner, Megan Shahi, Ashleigh Maciolek, 1 More Ben Olinsky

Revelations About Justice Clarence Thomas Reinforce the Need for Justices to Be Bound by an Ethics Code Article
The Supreme Court of the United States.

Revelations About Justice Clarence Thomas Reinforce the Need for Justices to Be Bound by an Ethics Code

Media reports that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted lavish yacht trips and private jet rides without publicly disclosing them underscore the urgent need for Supreme Court justices to be bound by a binding code of ethics just like other federal judges and members of Congress.

Ben Olinsky, Maggie Jo Buchanan, William Roberts

How Americans Can Fight Back Against a Radical Supreme Court Majority Article
The U.S. Supreme Court.

How Americans Can Fight Back Against a Radical Supreme Court Majority

Responding to the judicial overreach of a radical Supreme Court majority will require long-term structural reforms to the courts and immediate action to mitigate the harms caused by their wrongly decided decisions.

Ben Olinsky, Grace Oyenubi

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