Economic Justice

The Center for American Progress advocates for economic justice through policies addressing racial wealth gaps, labor rights, housing access, child care, paid leave, and other issues that promote an inclusive economy and expand pathways to the middle class.

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Economic Policy
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Trump Takes Aim at Minimum Wage In the News

Trump Takes Aim at Minimum Wage

In an op-ed for The Progressive, Aurelia Glass explains how Trump’s economic policy agenda will make life harder for working families.

The Progressive

Aurelia Glass

Fighting for the American Dream Past Event

Fighting for the American Dream

Creating and safeguarding an inclusive economy for the Black middle class.

Edgartown, MA

State Fact Sheets: How the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans Are Increasing Costs for American Families Fact Sheet
The Capitol dome reflected in water on pavement

State Fact Sheets: How the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans Are Increasing Costs for American Families

This series of fact sheets provides insights into how the OBBBA and the administration’s policies will increase the costs of health care, food, energy, and borrowing in each state in the near future.

10th Annual DACA Survey: 2024 Findings Reveal What’s at Stake for Recipients and the United States Report
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10th Annual DACA Survey: 2024 Findings Reveal What’s at Stake for Recipients and the United States

The 10th annual DACA survey illustrates the positive contributions that DACA recipients have made to America and reveals the significant, widespread disruptions that would result from ending DACA, highlighting more than ever the need for congressional action to provide pathways to citizenship for recipients.

Promising Models To Support and Expand the Early Childhood Educator Workforce Report
Young children sitting on bench

Promising Models To Support and Expand the Early Childhood Educator Workforce

Early childhood educators do critical work in educating the nation’s youngest learners. Recruiting, retaining, and expanding the workforce through investments in their compensation and benefits must be prioritized.

Erin Grant

The Full Cost of Attendance: Addressing Housing, Food, and Other Barriers to Community College Student Success Report
Students walk past the library at East Los Angeles College on September 27, 2022, Los Angeles, California.

The Full Cost of Attendance: Addressing Housing, Food, and Other Barriers to Community College Student Success

Although community colleges offer low tuition, students still face steep costs for essentials such as housing, food, transportation, child care, and supplies—barriers that policymakers must address to make college truly affordable.

The State of Disabled LGBTQI+ People in 2024 Report
A woman in a wheelchair goes down during NYC Pride March.

The State of Disabled LGBTQI+ People in 2024

New LGBTQI+ Community Survey data from the Center for American Progress and NORC show that disabled LGBTQI+ people experience higher rates of discrimination in public services, education, employment, housing, and health care than their nondisabled LGBTQI+ and disabled non-LGBTQI+ peers.

10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Article
Members of the House walk up the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Congressional Republicans’ radical budget and tax bill includes several less-known provisions that will increase costs, fuel the Trump administration’s overreach, and waste taxpayer dollars.

CAP Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services In the News

CAP Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services

Emily Gee testified before subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee on how the Inflation Reduction Act has lowered health care and energy costs for American families while investing in a future powered by clean energy.

U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee

Emily Gee

Why Trump’s Pronatalist Agenda Is Actually Anti-Motherhood In the News

Why Trump’s Pronatalist Agenda Is Actually Anti-Motherhood

In an op-ed for Ms. Magazine, Sara Estep discusses how President Trump and Vice President Vance’s pronatalist agenda is actually at odds with what mothers and their families need to thrive.

Ms. Magazine

Sara Estep

Breadwinning Women Are a Lifeline for Their Families and the Economy Report
A woman walks with her children, February 24, 2025.

Breadwinning Women Are a Lifeline for Their Families and the Economy

A new Center for American Progress analysis shows that large shares of working women—both mothers and married women without cohabitating children—continue to be breadwinners for their families. Policy must support working women to uplift families and the economy overall.

Kennedy Andara, Sara Estep, Isabela Salas-Betsch

5 Facts About the Labor Market Experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women Article
Cashier hands out grocery bags

5 Facts About the Labor Market Experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women

Analysis from the Center for American Progress and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum finds that AANHPI women, who are often immigrants, have a broad range of intersecting identities that make their labor market experiences unique. Breaking down these aggregates helps break down racial stereotypes too.

CAP Comments on Proposed Rule on Changes to National Apprenticeship System Article

CAP Comments on Proposed Rule on Changes to National Apprenticeship System

The Center for American Progress submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration regarding the proposed rule to update regulations that address apprenticeship labor standards and the governance of the national apprenticeship system.

Veronica Goodman

A Trade Strategy for the Post-Neoliberal World Report

A Trade Strategy for the Post-Neoliberal World

A progressive, pragmatic approach to trade and industrial policy can reorient global production trends and reward high-standard markets and firms, using trade to address the challenges of the 21st century.

Ryan Mulholland

6 Ways Cities and Counties Can Reduce Gun Violence Report
A row of houses is seen from above in Northern Baltimore, Maryland.

6 Ways Cities and Counties Can Reduce Gun Violence

Cities and counties across the country are taking meaningful steps toward reducing gun violence by implementing a set of accountability and prevention strategies capable of healing communities while breaking cycles of violence.

Allison Jordan

4 Lessons on Creating Good Manufacturing Jobs Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Industrial Investments Report
Robot lifts a battery as it is installed on the frame of a Ford Motor Co. battery-powered truck

4 Lessons on Creating Good Manufacturing Jobs Through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Industrial Investments

The Biden-Harris administration's industrial investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act are creating U.S. manufacturing jobs and often result in high-quality union jobs, but policymakers can go further to uphold job quality on projects that receive federal investments.

Lower Costs Through Better Competition Past Event

Lower Costs Through Better Competition

Please join the Center for American Progress for an event featuring FTC Chair Lina Khan and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) about protecting consumers and preserving competition.

1333 H St NW

Building Opportunity: Expanding Housing in America by Reforming Local Land Use Report
A group of townhomes are seen under construction in Falls Church, Virginia, on March 9, 2023.

Building Opportunity: Expanding Housing in America by Reforming Local Land Use

Reducing regulatory barriers to housing production can unleash new supply and serve as an important complement to federal, state, and local programs that provide direct subsidies for low-income housing construction and maintenance.

Kevin DeGood

A New Vision for Social Housing in America Article
Roadwork is seen being done in front of a low-income housing project in the Bronx borough of New York City on October 30, 2022.

A New Vision for Social Housing in America

The most effective way to solve America’s severe housing affordability crisis is to undertake a bold federal program of social housing construction that will deliver millions of new affordable, self-sustaining housing units located in opportunity-rich areas.

Kevin DeGood, Christian E. Weller, David Ballard, 1 More Jessica Vela

A Holistic Approach to Environmental Justice Video

A Holistic Approach to Environmental Justice

The Friendship House Association of American Indians is using Inflation Reduction Act funds to support the building of Village SF, an inter-Tribal community project that will help the more than 18,000 Indigenous peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area reconnect with nature, their culture, and their community.

Margaret Cooney, Jeremy Hill, Hai-Lam Phan, 2 More Olivia Mowry, Lauren Vicary

Project 2025 Would Cut Access to Overtime Pay Article
An employee pushes shopping carts out the front doors of a dollar store.

Project 2025 Would Cut Access to Overtime Pay

Project 2025 would make eligibility for overtime—also known as time-and-a-half pay—more confusing for workers to navigate and easier for employers to abuse.

Lily Roberts

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Related Priorities

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
Issue

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy
Issue

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Building an Economy for All
Issue

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.

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice
Issue

Advancing Racial Equity and Justice

We apply a racial equity lens in developing and advancing policies that aim to root out entrenched systemic racism to ensure everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

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