Data from the Census Bureau show that the percentage of families in poverty rose between 2008 and 2010.1 And it's no secret that unemployment and underemployment numbers also rose during that time.2 So when reviewing the latest food insecurity numbers, I was surprised to see that the nationwide percentage of food insecure households was virtually unchanged between 2008 and 2010.3

The USDA defines food insecure as households that have difficulty providing enough food for all members; therefore, it seems logical that this number would go up along with poverty and underemployment.

Curious, I decided to see ...

Obama's speech in the Rose Garden on

Monday outlined his proposal to control deficit spending, which

features the “Buffet Rule” to ensure that households earning over

$1 million do not pay a lower tax rate than middle-class Americans.

Critics of Obama's plan called this class warfare.

But in today's flagging economy, if

“class warfare” describes an assault on the highest earners, it

may also be an apt description for what's happening to more

vulnerable Americans. Census data released last week revealed that

more than 40 percent of households headed by women were impoverished

in 2010. For ...

President Obama presented the American

Jobs Act of 2011 on September 8th and sent it to Congress

on September 12th. Want to know what it's all about?

Here’s the rundown.

How does it help…

the unemployed? It makes it

illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed job

applicants because of their unemployed status, and would extend

unemployment benefits, among other provisions.

employers? It cuts the payroll tax

in half for 98 percent of companies. It also gives a $4,000 bonus to

employers who hire the long-term unemployed.

veterans? It creates a “Returning

Heroes” tax credit to employers ...

National

Priorities Project announces the launch of its Federal

Priorities Database,

a tool which compares the way our nation spends money with the

social impact of these expenditures. The database tracks both

federal spending and social indicators (e.g., poverty rates,

renewable energy usage and enrollment in the State Children's Health

Insurance Program) and houses information at the state, county and

school district levels.

There's an

abundance of timely and vital stories in each of NPP's nine database

categories. At a time when all eyes are on the federal budget -- and census data in particular,

we hope ...

Now that schools everywhere are back in full swing, we’ve posted a new featured data story on our Federal Priorities Database. This one looks at two datasets:School Lunch Participation: the number of students eating school lunch during the school yearSchool Lunch Program Expenditures: a US Department of Agriculture grant that provides school lunches to low-income children and subsidizes all other lunchesOver the years, the number of students eating school lunch has increased, reaching nearly 32 million for the school year ending in 2010.These lunches were subsidized by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).  Federal assistance for this ...

The

White House Office of Public Engagement has scheduled a series of ten

state calls (see list and specific invitation below). Note there are

two calls today (Wednesday) for folks in California and Colorado and

the rest through the end of this week. You are welcome to forward

this invitation far and wide.

White

House staff want to speak with constituents about the federal budget

deficit/debt deal. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. NPP

hopes you will be able to join in and ask a question and/or make a

comment. (Tip: Call facilitators often give instructions ...

Earlier this week I went to Washington, D.C. for the international conference of RESULTS, a nonpartisan organization working to end hunger and poverty by empowering individuals to exercise their personal and political power. The goal of RESULTS is captured in this quote by former Oregon Republican Senator Mark Hatfield:“We stand by as children starve by the millions because we lack the will to eliminate hunger. Yet we have found the will to develop missiles, capable of flying over the polar cap and landing within a few hundred feet of their target. This is not innovation. It is a ...

Ask Kyle – Putting the “Bud” back in Federal BudgetWell...maybe. The actual answer is complicated. Although that might be an a reasonable conclusion to draw if you recently read that Congress was planning to slash more than $832 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program. WIC helps low-income women and children receive such things as nutrition education, health care, and food....y'know, luxury items. According the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities, this loss could block assistance for up to 350,000 low-income women and children. Now keep in mind that $832 million represents just .02 ...

NPP

Provides State-Level Analysis of the President'sFiscal

Year 2012 Budget RequestToday

the White House released the Obama Administration's budget request

for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins on October 1, 2011.

As

expected, the estimated $3.7 trillion FY2012 request contains a

number of critical policy and fiscal goals, including:

Reducing

the government's annual deficit by placing a five-year freeze on

so-called "non-security" discretionary spending, while

eliminating a series of fossil fuel-related tax breaks and projecting

an end to the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in 2012;

Investing

in education, with a goal of training more ...

To the Congress of the United States:America is emerging from the worst recession in generations. In 2010, an economy that had been shrinking began to grow again. After nearly 2 years of job losses, America’s businesses added more than one million jobs. Our capital and credit markets are functioning and strong. Manufacturing is coming back. And after teetering on the brink of liquidation just 2 years ago, America’s auto industry is posting healthy gains and returning money to the taxpayers who helped it through a period of turmoil. The determination and resilience of the American people and ...