Saving States from Economic Ruin, Preparing to Vote by Mail, and More

July 16, 2020

“To continue to provide services that its citizens need and to avoid severe budget and employment cuts that will drag down the economy, states and localities need more federal help. Providing that help is in everyone’s interest.” Former Federal Reserve Chairman and Brookings Distinguished Fellow Ben Bernanke provides insight on what needs to happen for the U.S. to avoid past mistakes on economic recovery.

With a hugely consequential general election just four months away, and important primary elections before then, U.S. voting systems must be pandemic-proof to ensure confidence in the electoral process. In their new elections preparedness scorecard, Elaine Kamarck, Yousef Ibreak, Amanda Powers, and Chris Stewart assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia for their readiness to vote from home during a pandemic.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is Congress’s central policy for keeping U.S. workers in their jobs amid widespread small business closures due to COVID-19. In an analysis of data from the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration, Joseph Parilla and Sifan Liu find that PPP funds are not going to the places and businesses where they’re needed most.

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