The Century Foundation
@tcfdotorg.bsky.social
Confronting the true drivers of America's affordability crisis. Advancing bold solutions to lower costs. Policy for people—not powerful interests. tcf.org
Big news: We're excited to welcome Ganesh Sitaraman as a trustee and Aya Ibrahim as a visiting senior fellow! Their experience and leadership will help strengthen TCF's work at a critical moment. Join us in welcoming them to The Century Foundation! 👏 tcf.org/content/abou...
As the affordability crisis continues, more people with disabilities are being pushed toward predatory payday loans. Read our latest commentary w/@crlonline.bsky.social & @julianbondinst.bsky.social about why this is a disability justice issue and what policymakers can do: tcf.org/content/comm...
Our new analysis with @tcfdotorg.bsky.social finds families will have to spend a lot more this year on school supplies — well above the rate of inflation. @lindsayowens.bsky.social explains the reasons why for @scrippsnews.bsky.social.
States are investing in care with policies like paid leave and paid sick time – but we still need federal action to support families nationwide. Read the full 2026 care report card from @tcfdotorg.bsky.social @caringacross.org. #CareCantWait go.tcf.org/CareReport26
Care Matters: A 2026 State Report Card on Care Affordability and Access
Download the Care Matters: A 2026 State Report Card on Care Affordability and Access PDF Care and caregiving are foundational to how society
go.tcf.org
As federal student loan rules shift, students are being forced to navigate uncertainty in real time. TCF's Peter Granville spoke with @usnews.com about what's at stake for graduate borrowers after the Education Department’s decisions to cap borrowing limits: money.usnews.com/loans/studen...
money.usnews.com
As utilities expand the grid to meet soaring demand from AI data centers, too many families are having to foot the bill. TCF President @jmargetta.bsky.social joined NPR's Here and Now to discuss what's driving higher utility costs—and why policymakers need to protect consumers:
Donald Trump promised to cap credit card interest rates at 10% months ago. Still hasn’t happened. @protectborrowers.bsky.social and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social found every single day Trump fails to act, it’s costing families an extra $368 million in credit card interest.
Donald Trump promised to cap credit card interest rates at 10% months ago.
YouTube video by Senator Elizabeth Warren
youtube.com
🚨New from us and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: Packing lunch for your kid will cost roughly $400 MORE this school year than it did last year. Per. Child. Half of parents are cutting back on other household expenses just to keep up.
Back to school this year will be genuinely brutal, thanks to Trump's chaotic economic policies. We & @tcfdotorg.bsky.social did the math: The average price of going back to school this year? $173 for supplies, $424 for clothes and shoes, and $3,800 for lunches.
Where you live shouldn't determine whether you can afford child care, take paid leave, or access long-term care. Our new report with @caringacross.org grades every state's care policies—and shows where progress is happening despite the Trump administration's cuts: go.tcf.org/CareReport26
From notebooks to lunchboxes, families are paying more for their school supply list this year—and many expect to go into debt just to get their kids ready for the semester. TCF President @jmargetta.bsky.social explains why parents are being squeezed in @19thnews.org: 19thnews.org/2026/07/scho...
You're not imagining it: Your kid's school supplies cost more this year
From lunchboxes to No. 2 pencils, the prices are skyrocketing. Here's how much.
19thnews.org
The return of student loan payments—after the student loan pause—is now colliding w/record credit card debt & rising costs. TCF President Julie Morgan spoke with @washingtonpost.com about what that means for borrowers already struggling to make ends meet: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Student loan pause may have had a surprising impact, Post analysis shows
In many cases, people appear to have used the breathing room to take on other forms of debt.
washingtonpost.com
NEW: The 2026–27 school year will cost families nearly $4,000 per child — nearly 11% more than last year. New analysis from @groundwork.bsky.social and TCF shows rising prices for school supplies, groceries, clothing, and transportation are squeezing families. Read more: tcf.org/content/comm...
Energy costs are rising, and families are feeling the squeeze. On @npr.org's Here & Now, TCF President Julie Morgan explains how Trump's policies, including tariffs and cuts to energy assistance programs like LIHEAP, are driving up costs and creating uncertainty for households:
Black women continue to face occupational segregation, workplace discrimination, and unequal caregiving burdens—and policy choices have made those barriers harder to overcome. Thanks to @blavity.bsky.social for highlighting TCF's research on Black Women's Equal Pay Day: blavity.com/black-womens...
How Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Underscores A Wage Gap That Continues To Persist - Blavity
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day falls on July 21 this year, marking how far into 2026 Black women must work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned by the end of 2025. The observance comes as new data...
blavity.com
Whether you’re caring for someone now, thinking about caregiving in your future, or just trying to take care of yourself, you have something to say about care. Join @caringacross.org in shaping a new vision for care in America: caringacross.formstack.com/forms/1_mill...
Imagine working an extra 6 months just to earn what someone else made last year. That's the reality Black women face today. On Black Women's Equal Pay Day, TCF's Michaela Minnis and Michelle LaVere explain why the wage gap won't close on its own, and what policymakers can do:
Utility bills are rising faster than families can keep up. NEW: Our analysis with @protectborrowers.bsky.social shows energy prices have risen 3x faster than inflation since Trump returned to office, pushing more households into overdue utility debt. Read more: tcf.org/content/repo...
If the economy is doing well, why are American workers taking home the smallest share of the economy since 1947? TCF's Angela Hanks spoke with @cbsnews.com about why so many Americans feel financially precarious despite strong headline economic indicators: www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/l...
This number helps explain why many Americans are down on the economy
American workers' share of the nation's income is at its lowest point in almost 80 years, as more of the economy's gains flow to corporations and investors.
cbsnews.com
“Americans won’t find any independence from inflation this Fourth of July.” @bwreed.bsky.social lays out a new report from @groundwork.bsky.social and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social that tracks price hikes for several July 4 staples.
Your 4th of July BBQ Is More Expensive Due to Trump's Policies, Reports Claim
“Thanks to Trump’s tariffs and foreign wars, Americans won’t find any independence from inflation this Fourth of July.”
inthesetimes.com
JOB ALERT! @tcfdotorg.bsky.social is hiring for the Press Secretary position. #NowHiring. open.substack.com/pub/jobsthat...
The Century Foundation, Press Secretary
Washington, Dist. Columbia
open.substack.com
For many families, Parent PLUS loans are a way to help their children afford college. But a major change this summer could leave borrowers with fewer options if payments become unmanageable. Two TCF fellows explain what families need to know before borrowing: tcf.org/content/comm...
The Parent PLUS Safety Net Is Gone. Will Families Know Before They Borrow?
A big change is coming to the Parent PLUS loan program this summer: borrowers taking out loans for the 2026–27 school year and beyond will no longer
tcf.org
Millions of Americans are turning to high-cost credit card debt to afford basic necessities. And the crisis is only getting worse. In a new analysis with @protectborrowers.bsky.social, TCF's Gerardo Bonilla provides a state-by-state breakdown of who's being hit hardest by rising credit card debt:
Behind in Every State: A Deeper Look at America’s Credit Card Debt Crisis
From Maine to Mississippi, Working Families Are Drowning in Rising Prices and Credit Card Debt
substack.com
This Fourth of July, the price tag for a barbecue is high enough to discourage many families from celebrating altogether. @groundwork.bsky.social and @tcfdotorg.bsky.social has found that staples like ground beef and popsicles are up more than 20 percent in just one year: tcf.org/content/comm...
At the Senate Banking Committee's affordability hearing this past week, TCF President @jmargetta.bsky.social laid out exactly who's benefitting from the Trump Administration's actions— and it's NOT working families. Watch her exchange with Senator Warnock:
More Black students are earning degrees than ever before. But new policy changes could slow that progress. Our higher ed senior policy associate Jordan Nellums spoke with @marketplace.org about how DEI bans and rollbacks are cutting off mentorship & support that help students succeed in college:
The number of degree-holding Black adults doubled 2000-2024. Will the anti-DEI era change that trend?
As states ban and colleges roll back DEI programs, Black students are left with less mentorship and support.
marketplace.org
NEW: Polling from @tcfdotorg.bsky.social and Morning Consult finds that healthcare costs are forcing Americans into impossible choices. Voters are ready for healthcare reforms that lower costs. What do they want policymakers to do about it? Find out here: tcf.org/content/comm...
When corporations engage in wage theft, fraud, and predatory practices, New Yorkers pay the price. Part 3 of "Affordable NYC Now", with @protectborrowers.bsky.social, lays out steps the city can take to crack down on corporate abuse and put working people first: protectborrowers.org/resource/aff...
Gas prices are up 43% since Trump's war with Iran began. TCF's @angelanhanks.bsky.social breaks down how that ripples into everything else, and why no one is immune from a president who's determined to jack up energy prices on working families. Watch:
Should restaurants that 👉 underpay workers 👉 lose #WageTheft cases, and 👉 refuse to pay final @NYSLabor judgments Get to renew their restaurant permit without paying up? My answer: No. I was glad to author a proposal on this in a new @TCFdotorg @BorrowerJustice compendium of ideas for NYC.
The Century Foundation@tcfdotorg.bsky.social · 2mo agoCorporations are driving up costs for New Yorkers through wage theft, predatory business practices, and more. Today, @tcfdotorg.bsky.social and @protectborrowers.bsky.social released Part 2 of #AffordableNYCNow: ideas the Administration can use now to protect working families and small businesses.
