Wesley Tharpe

States That Raised Revenue Offer Brighter Roadmap for Others To build forward and invest in a brighter future, states should avoid cutting taxes and follow the example of these revenue-raising states to fund public services that support affordability for famili...

Those are just a few, but they and others show how states can help light a brighter path: by choosing bold revenue policies that meet current fiscal challenges and support affordability for all families and communities. Read the full report here: www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

And in New Jersey, lawmakers passed a graduated mansion tax for property sales of $1m or more and a new 2.5% fee on corporate income over $10m, with new funding aimed at boosting affordable housing and preventing harmful service cuts to public transit.

In 2022, Massachusetts voters approved a new 4% surtax on income over $1 million. It’s since seriously exceeded original revenue projections, allowing policymakers to make durable investments like free community college, universal school meals, fare-free buses, and road & bridge repair.

DC raised revenue from people with income over $250K and enacted an increased property tax rate for property valued over $2.5m. They were then able to raise childcare worker pay, which has increased childcare access and quality and help lift educators out of poverty.

Colorado voters reduced deductions for households making over $300K, to generate about $200m/yr to fund universal school meals. Lawmakers also shored up their corporate tax system to help the state prepare for impending damage from federal health and SNAP cuts.

Several other states though took a different approach, by raising new revenues from the wealthy and closing loopholes to ensure corporations pay their fair share. That’s allowed them to protect and expand a wide range of positive public investments. Here are a few:

Many states in the past 5 yrs have recklessly cut taxes, often masking the damage w/ temporary budget surpluses. They’re now staring down the full impact & harm of those cuts, right at the time new costs from the Republican megabill are poised to hit as well.

States That Raised Revenue Offer Brighter Roadmap for Others To build forward and invest in a brighter future, states should avoid cutting taxes and follow the example of these revenue-raising states to fund public services that support affordability for famili...

NEW REPORT: States in 2026 can take inspiration from these 11 states + D.C., by tackling current challenges with bold revenue policies that support vital public investment & make life more affordable for working families. Here’s the rundown: www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

States That Raised Revenue Offer Brighter Roadmap for Others To build forward and invest in a brighter future, states should avoid cutting taxes and follow the example of these revenue-raising states to fund public services that support affordability for famili...

As state policymakers convene for leg season, they'll face cutting funding for vital public services or preserving & raising revenue to meet constituents’ needs. @wesleytharpe.bsky.social highlights states that have raised revenues & how they can be a roadmap for others: www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

An Anti-Affordability Agenda: Trump’s Advisors Call on States to Raise Taxes on the Working Class and Drastically Cut Taxes for the Rich The Trump administration’s Council of Economic Advisors suggests that states consider drastically raising sales taxes and using those new revenues to pay for repealing taxes on corporate and personal ...

Literally no one:
Trump Administration: here's a tax plan that "if enacted by every state, would represent the single largest legislated transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich in the nation’s history."

itep.org/trump-counci...

States Can Push Back Against Reckless Federal Tax Policy. Here’s How. They should take steps to protect and boost their own revenues. And they should take a second look at their own tax cuts.

The massive tax giveaways of this summer's federal megabill are out of step with what the American people want and need. But states don't have to take that sitting down. Here's how they can fight back. www.governing.com/finance/stat...

New must-read from @propublica.org. More than half of states slashed income taxes in recent years, especially for the wealthy. Now that bill is coming due, right when harmful federal budget cuts are about to hit states too. Time to reverse course.

This summer's sweeping Republican reconciliation bill is poised to do a historic amount of harm. But it's also now handed state policymakers a historic opportunity of their own: championing revenues to mitigate harm for millions, show a better course, & advance a brighter future.

With a huge unfunded mandate for #SNAP food benefits one step closer to becoming law, don't lose sight of the painful tradeoffs states will be facing: Do they raise taxes? Cut state funding for other vital services? Slash the number of eligible low-income people receiving food assistance?

States Would Face New Costs, Likely Enact Harmful Cuts Under Senate Reconciliation Plan | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Like its House counterpart, the Senate Republican leaders’ reconciliation plan would shift...

And for more details on how both Senate & House Republican plans would further shift costs & force hard choices in states generally, we’ve got you here: www.cbpp.org/blog/trackin...

Research Note: Senate Republican Leaders’ Proposal Risks Deep Cuts to Food Assistance, Some States Ending SNAP Entirely | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities States, which must balance their budgets every year, would struggle to absorb these substantial new costs.

These are just a few examples, but they’re not unique: under the Republican reconciliation plan, *all* states will face serious new costs & painful tradeoffs. More state-specific SNAP cost-shift examples are available here: www.cbpp.org/research/foo...

And #NewYork’s annual #SNAP benefits’ bill could swell to nearly $1.1 billion, or about 3X annual state spending on the Department of Environmental Conservation, which protects the state's natural resources and prevents and abates water and air pollution.

#NewJersey could be on the hook for an estimated $287M, or nearly their annual state spending on county colleges, which serve more than 168,000 students.

#Colorado, meanwhile, could owe about $194M, equal to two-thirds their Department of Public Safety’s annual budget, which funds the state highway patrol, Bureau of Investigation, and fire prevention and code enforcement.

In #California, annual #SNAP benefit costs could surpass $1.8 billion, roughly equal to state spending on the Department of Public Health, whose responsibilities include health emergency response, food safety, & infectious disease control.

#Arizona would owe about $300M, or close to their yearly state spending on their Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Department of Public Safety combined.

States still stand to lose big under the now-passed Senate R reconciliation plan, w/ major new costs forcing likely cuts to health care, food benefits, & other S&L priorities. Just the #SNAP cost-shift alone will force painful choices. At the 15% maximum state rate, for ex⬇️

Based on new USDA data released today, 44 states would have to pay tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars under Senate Republicans' #SNAP cost-shift plan. If a state can't fully pay, they would have to cut many low-income families off SNAP or end their program altogether.

It shocks the conscience.

The truth is clear — the Senate Republican reconciliation bill will hurt people in every state if enacted. Senators who vote for it are responsible for its impact ⬇️

"We fear that if this bill passes, a village in rural Alaska might lose its one-and-only grocery store because of a drastic decline in SNAP dollars. It might also lose its sole health care clinic or hospital because it cannot sustain its services with decreased Medicaid reimbursements."

The national school voucher proposal in the Senate GOP reconciliation plan would threaten students’ access to quality public schools, give tax breaks to the wealthy, & override states that have rejected these harmful policies. Lawmakers who care about our kids’ futures should reject it.

Roundup: State Budgets Increasingly Strained as House, Senate Republican Plans Would Impose Major Costs | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Senate and House Republican leaders are advancing a massive tax and budget package — a process technically known as reconciliation — that features extreme cuts to food assistance and health care...

Senate & House Rs are rushing a massive reconciliation plan that promises widespread harm to people & communities in *every state*, partly thru shifting major costs states simply can't afford. Fresh out from us today is more state-by-state context on the potential pinch. www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

There is confusion about whether the Parliamentarian has indicated that a slightly revised version of the #SNAP cost-shift to states in the Senate Republican bill complies with the Byrd rule. But what’s clear is: the provision’s harmful impact is unchanged.

This suggests that Republicans may add yet another deeply harmful health care cut to the Senate bill – a cut that would take health coverage away from even more people, shift massive, unaffordable costs to states, & could even lead some states to end their #Medicaid expansion.