February 15, 2018. Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, and Jonas Shaende, Senior Budget & Policy Analyst at the Fiscal Policy Institute, shared their analysis of the Governor’s executive budget and their recommendations for a Shared Opportunity Agenda for New York. Access Podcast Here
February 15, 2018. As Amazon nears a decision on the location for its second headquarters, it's weighing a number of factors about each city: access to transit systems, the size and makeup of the local workforce, available real estate and tax breaks. Among the offers that have become public: Newark, New Jersey, has floated $7 billion in incentives. Chicago would reportedly kick in at least $2 billion. And Maryland has put more than $5 billion on the table for its Montgomery County contender. All of [...]
February 15, 2018. In its 28th annual New York State budget briefing book, the Fiscal Policy Institute analyzes and comments on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s FY 2019 Executive Budget. The Trump Administration’s tax law, looming federal budget cuts, multi-billion-dollar state budget deficits, glaring unmet human and physical infrastructure needs throughout the state...this year’s New York State budget negotiations are taking shape against a worrisome and uncertain backdrop. The president and congress are threatening to dismantle decades-old federal entitlement programs, make drastic cuts to programs that help millions [...]
February 14, 2018. This article by the Blue Mountain Center featured on their website, discusses how the Trump administration's immigration policies may actually hurt upstate cities like Utica, who has seen positive growth and prosperity since resettling refugees. It discusses how refugees have helped reverse population decline in Utica, they have opened businesses, helped spur urban revitalization, have added to the workforce, purchased homes and have become active members of the community. The article goes on to talk about the great life enhancing and integration [...]
February 14, 2018. President Trump outlined his long-promised and long-awaited infrastructure plan Monday. Billed as a $1.5 trillion plan, it only includes $200 billion in federal money, leaving state and local governments largely on the hook for the rest of the money. The plan says the $200 billion in federal money — which would come from cuts made elsewhere — will spur as much as $1.5 trillion to $1.7 trillion in development over the next 10 years. President Trump indicated the massive plan to replace [...]
On Tuesday morning, February 13, 2018, the Fiscal Policy Institute will present its 28th annual budget briefing in Meeting Room 7 of the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. A complimentary breakfast and check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. Our presentation begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 10:15 a.m. We hope that you and/or your colleagues will be able to join us for what we are confident will be a useful and informative session. You can RSVP online here. The briefing will examine various aspects of the governor’s Executive [...]
February 9, 2018. New York State has a long and proud history of trailblazing innovative policies that expand access to healthcare coverage to all its residents. From developing and establishing the nation's first comprehensive health insurance program for children to the launch of the New York State of Health Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, New York has often been a national leader in expanding access to quality affordable health coverage. In the midst of federal attacks against immigrants, Governor Cuomo recently announced that recipients [...]
February 6, 2018. In Albany, a group of unions and progressives wants the state to increase taxes on the wealthy, even as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state leaders are warning of the consequences of new federal limits on the deductibility of New York’s high state and local taxes. Ron Deutsch, executive director of the labor-backed Fiscal Policy Institute think tank, said the money should be reinvested in education funding, building housing for the homeless and protecting against what he believes are coming cuts to [...]
February 6, 2018. A group of Assembly Democrats and progressive activists see an opportunity for New York in the wake of the new federal tax law. Assemblyman Sean Ryan of Buffalo and Ron Deutsch of the Fiscal Policy Institute join us to talk more about the proposals, and what it would take to pass them. Access Video Here
February 8, 2018. An editorial in The Buffalo News discusses the impact of the federal administration's cut to legal immigration and "chain migration" in Buffalo. Although the Trump Administration has created a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, he is hurting upstate cities like Buffalo by cutting legal migration. Buffalo was already hurt by the cut in refugee resettlement. Immigrants will only be able to bring their children and spouses to the U.S., not other family members. The editorial goes on to discuss how immigrants and refugees [...]
February 1, 2018. A webinar on how to understand and talk with audiences about the economics of immigration, featuring: David Dyssegaard Kallick, Fiscal Policy Institute Marisa Gerstein Pineau, FrameWorks Institute Andrew Lim, New American Economy Linda Fleener, Illinois Immigrant Business Coalition Denzil Mohammed, The Immigrant Learning Center Public Education Institute Sponsored by the Immigrant Learning Center and the Public Education Institute. The FPI powerpoint used for the discussion is available by clicking here. The best way to view it is by clicking from slide to [...]
February 2, 2018. This article discusses the fear among immigrants, who are witnesses to crimes, to come forward and work with the justice system due to the increased anti-immigrant rhetoric from the federal administration. Silvia Finkelstein, director of immigrant affairs for the Nassau County district attorney, has seen the reports of immigrant-related crimes decrease substantially, from 60 calls in 2016 to 3 calls in 2017. The author goes on to discuss Finkelstein's presentation where she discussed the economic contributions of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, to [...]
Termination of TPS Hurts Families and The Economy 26,000 At Risk in New York On January 8, 2018, the Trump administration announced that it would be terminating Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for individuals from El Salvador, and that these recipients have until September 9 to obtain another legal status or return to their country of birth. This follows a chain of terminations of other TPS statuses including Haiti, Sudan, and Nicaragua, while Honduras’s status is still under consideration. TPS provides protection from deportation and work [...]
January 30, 2018. This article discusses the economic impacts that the cut in refugee resettlement could have on the upstate city, Syracuse, New York. Refugees have helped reverse population decline, added to the labor force, opened businesses, revamped vacant property and contributed to local and state taxes. Refugees have higher labor force participation rate than U.S.-born (workers),” said Cyierra Roldan, a policy analyst at the Fiscal Policy Institute. “They are filling open jobs, adding workforce.” Roldan added that refugees are saving the homes of Syracuse by [...]
January 29, 2018. This article discusses the impacts of Trump administration's decision on a policy to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the cut to legal immigration and the family reunification immigration policy, also known as "chain migration." The Trump administration wants to change to a skill-based immigration system. The article outlines the devastating effects that upstate cities such as Buffalo, and other rustbelt cities will endure. These include farmworker labor shortages for farms who use seasonal immigrant workers, population decline and a [...]