Center for American Progress

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Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

A child holds hands with her father and mother, January 12, 2020. (Getty/The Washington Post/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)
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

134K

An estimated 134,000 families are pushed into poverty each year by child care expenses.

CAP, “Child Care Expenses Push an Estimated 134,000 Families Into Poverty Each Year” (2024).

A group of parents is seen outside of a day care center. Some of them are pushing strollers.
Child Care Expenses Push an Estimated 134,000 Families Into Poverty Each Year

85%

The number of businesses grew in 85 percent of counties between 2019 and 2023.

CAP, “Entrepreneurship, Startups, and Business Formation Are Booming Across the U.S.” (2024).

An
Entrepreneurship, Startups, and Business Formation Are Booming Across the U.S.

10%

An estimated 10 percent wage premium is experienced by union members compared with similar nonunion members.

CAP, “4 Ways Unions Make Our Economy and Democracy Stronger” (2024).

Members of the Boston Teachers Union and their supporters rally in support of contract measures.
4 Ways Unions Make Our Economy and Democracy Stronger

54%

Permanently extending the Trump tax cuts would increase the fiscal gap by 54 percent.

CAP, “Permanently Extending the Trump Tax Cuts Would Increase Upward Pressure on the Debt Ratio by More Than 50 Percent” (2024).

Capitol building and overcast sky
Permanently Extending the Trump Tax Cuts Would Increase Upward Pressure on the Debt Ratio by More Than 50 Percent

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Sectoral Bargaining Is Key to Protecting Workers During AI Transition Report
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Sectoral Bargaining Is Key to Protecting Workers During AI Transition

Collective bargaining empowers workers to protect existing jobs and find new ones during technological transitions, such as the rise of artificial intelligence, but experience shows that sometimes union density alone isn’t enough, and sectoral bargaining can help.

Aurelia Glass

What Is Private Credit and Why Should Americans Care? Article
A curved glass facade and a flat glass facade flank a stone part of the building that has the agency's seal.

What Is Private Credit and Why Should Americans Care?

The Trump administration proposal to encourage investment of retirement plans in alternative assets such as private credit, private equity, and cryptocurrency would increase risks to the savings of ordinary Americans. A closer look at private credit helps explain why.

Alexandra Thornton, Devesh Kodnani

Head Start Works, but the Trump Administration Is Undermining It Article
Children enrolled in a Head Start program read books together.

Head Start Works, but the Trump Administration Is Undermining It

Proposed changes threaten Head Start’s proven success in a move consistent with the administration’s position on the program—risking job losses, service cuts, and reduced access for vulnerable families.

Hailey Gibbs, Carter Nesmith

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Program Performance Standards Key to Fulfilling the Head Start Promise Article

CAP Comments on HHS’ Notice Rolling Back Program Performance Standards Key to Fulfilling the Head Start Promise

The Center for American Progress recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services opposing a recent rule that would dramatically reduce the standards supporting Head Start governance, quality, and access.

Hailey Gibbs

Beyond Billionaires: Small Business, Taxes, and Who’s Rich in America Past Event

Beyond Billionaires: Small Business, Taxes, and Who’s Rich in America

Join the Center for American Progress for a conversation on business ownership as the main path to wealth in America, and what that means for the future of tax policy and the American Dream.

Center for American Progress and Online via Zoom

Refunds From the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Tariffs Are a Windfall for Corporate America, Not for Small Businesses or Consumers Report
An orange container handler with its mast raised beside towering stacks of shipping containers at a port, a crane overhead

Refunds From the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Tariffs Are a Windfall for Corporate America, Not for Small Businesses or Consumers

New state-by-state CAP analysis finds that the Trump administration’s tariffs cost small-business importers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., an average of $426,000 more over 18 months—damage that refunds cannot fully undo.

Ryan Mulholland, Mimla Wardak, Kennedy Andara

Think U.S. government debt doesn’t affect you? Think again In the News

Think U.S. government debt doesn’t affect you? Think again

In an op-ed published by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jared Bernstein and Mark Zandi explain the impact of a $40 trillion U.S. national debt on everyday Americans.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Jared Bernstein, Mark Zandi

Iran War Triggered a Diesel and Fertilizer Crisis for America’s Farmers Video
A farmer fuels a large tractor from a storage tank, with a cornfield in the background.

Iran War Triggered a Diesel and Fertilizer Crisis for America’s Farmers

Fertilizer and diesel prices have spiked to record highs due to the war in Iran, making it difficult for American farmers such as Aaron Lehman to grow their crops and make a living, and consumers are paying more for the food that they eat.

Margaret Cooney, Cody Hankerson, Hai-Lam Phan, 2 More Toni Pandolfo, Gibson Gillett-Behrens

Down to the Roots: Building Rural Policy Around Rural Needs Past Event
A man walks through a field of soybeans at sunset.

Down to the Roots: Building Rural Policy Around Rural Needs

This event will explore what it means to invest in rural communities on their own terms and build a rural policy agenda rooted in resilience, opportunity, and shared prosperity.

Center for American Progress and online via Zoom

Navigating the U.S.-China Relationship: A Conversation With Sen. Tammy Duckworth Past Event

Navigating the U.S.-China Relationship: A Conversation With Sen. Tammy Duckworth

Join the Center for American Progress to discuss the upcoming high-stakes talks and opportunities and challenges surrounding the U.S.-China relationship.

Center for American Progress and online via Zoom

5 Evidence-Based Strategies To Improve U.S. K-12 Math Achievement in Wake of 2025 PISA Results Report
A student sitting at a desk writes in an open math workbook.

5 Evidence-Based Strategies To Improve U.S. K-12 Math Achievement in Wake of 2025 PISA Results

As newly released scores on the global PISA exam show U.S. students trailing other advanced nations in mathematics, federal and state policymakers must act urgently to invest in math education and prepare students for economic competitiveness.

Weadé James, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Olivia O’Connell

The Trump Administration’s Plan To Politicize Federal Grants Would Harm American Health and Innovation Report
A researcher works in a kinesiology and nutrition lab.

The Trump Administration’s Plan To Politicize Federal Grants Would Harm American Health and Innovation

A new proposed rule from the Trump administration would subject all federally funded grants and research to politically motivated decision-making, as well as violate the laws governing agency rulemaking and the constitutional rights of Americans.

Jill Rosenthal, Sara Partridge, Devon Ombres, 3 More Haley Norris, Mariam Rashid, Ryan Mulholland

Weighing Priorities: What U.S. Spending on the Iran War Could Fund Instead Interactive

Weighing Priorities: What U.S. Spending on the Iran War Could Fund Instead

The House of Representatives took the first step toward passing a bill that would provide the Trump administration $73 billion to fund its already costly war in Iran. That funding, if better allocated, could provide lifesaving and life-changing services for millions of Americans.

Jamie Friedman, Bobby Kogan, Allison McManus

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