Building an Economy for All
Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans, not just those at the top, benefit from growth.
What We're Working On
What We're Doing
Investing in a stronger and more equitable economy
We must continue to invest in research, technology, and innovation in a manner that ensures participation and benefits communities that are too often left behind. Only through such an approach can the United States remain at the cutting edge in an increasingly competitive global market.
Strengthening worker power and economic mobility
We need to increase wages, reduce poverty among working families, increase worker power, and create pathways to economic mobility for all.
Raising the floor for basic living standards
Working toward a stronger and more equitable economy for everyone involves rebuilding, expanding, and strengthening America’s social safety net to make it more comprehensive in eligibility and services as well as more flexible in how it can be accessed and used.
Creating a new social compact with business
A new social compact with business includes a regulatory vision that better aligns investors, companies, and the public interest on critical matters such as climate, workers’ rights, and equality.
By the numbers
60M
The families of more than 60 million children have received CTC monthly payments since July 2021.
CAP, “Making the CTC and EITC Expansions Permanent Would Reduce Poverty and Grow the Economy” (2021).
$100
In 32 states, a typical family would save more than $100 per week on child care under the Build Back Better Act.
CAP, “The Build Back Better Act Would Greatly Lower Families’ Child Care Costs” (2021).
$22.5B
In a year, workers and their families lose $22.5 billion in wages due to lack of access to paid family and medical leave.
CAP, “A Real Recovery for Women Cannot Happen Without the Build Back Better Agenda” (2021).
$3.6T
The Build Back Better Act would raise $3.6 trillion in revenue to support investments in an inclusive, high-growth economy.
CAP, “Addressing Tax System Failings That Favor Billionaires and Corporations” (2021).
What You Can Do
Recent work
Q&A With CAP’s New Senior Vice President for Education, Jesse O’Connell
Guns and Violence Against Women: A Summary of Key Challenges and Solutions
Comment on Georgia Access Model Section 1332 Waiver
Education Policies Need To Address the Unique Needs of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
Latest
Engaging the Community in School Funding Decisions
Community members highlight the importance of community involvement in school spending decisions and ways for schools to increase this engagement.
How Educators, Students, and Families Would Spend Additional K-12 Education Funding
Educators, students, and family members discuss the important investments they would make to improve the educational experience if they had additional education funding.
Video: How Sectoral Bargaining Can Help All Workers Have a Union Voice
Sectoral bargaining allows workers to negotiate wages and job standards across an industry, improving working conditions and boosting productivity.
How the Underfunding of K-12 Public Schools Impacts Students, Educators, and Families
Students, educators, and family members describe how the underfunding of K-12 public schools has negatively impacted their experiences and opportunities.
Nurse Urges EPA To Clean Up Pollution From Cars
Nurse and scientist Roxana Chicas urges the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health and the climate by cleaning up pollution from cars.
How the Child Tax Credit Is Already Working To Improve Children’s Lives
Congress must make the temporary expansion of the child tax credit permanent.
Tell Congress: Families Deserve Affordable Child Care
The United States needs a comprehensive solution to make child care affordable for families.
A Single Courageous State: Climate, Jobs, and Justice, Episode 4
State Sen. Chloe Maxmin and state Rep. Scott Cuddy discuss Maine's clean energy progress, just transition, lessons learned for federal policymakers, and more.
A Single Courageous State: Climate, Jobs, and Justice, Episode 3
Sean O’Leary of the Ohio River Valley Institute, Nancy Hirsh of the NW Energy Coalition and member of the Centralia Coal Transition Board, and Emmett Pepper of Energy Efficient West Virginia discuss how the retirement of a coal plant successfully led to local economic development and how the Centralia model can apply to other communities.
Congress Must Invest in Maternal Health by Passing the Momnibus
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 would help address the maternal health crisis in the United States, which disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous people.