On Tuesday, May 13, RSF author and former visiting scholar Harry Holzer spoke at a press conference at the Capitol opposing the extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which would see cuts to both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as well as additional burdens on taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). He argued the bill would harm the economy for four key reasons. First, any economic benefits of the tax cuts due would be outweighed by the increases to the country’s deficits, debt, and interest on that debt. Second, children who receive Medicaid and SNAP have better health and educational outcomes and are more economically productive than children who need but do not receive these supports. Third, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit are beneficial to the economy because they provide needed income, improve children’s school and health outcomes, and incentivize people to work. Finally, work requirements for programs like Medicaid and SNAP do not actually increase employment rates, they only increase hardship.

Journalist E.J. Dionne said of Holzer’s speech on X: “My friend Harry Holzer is a rigorous economist who goes where the data take him. This three-minute speech is well worth your time because it explains why the cuts to programs for low-income people in the GOP bill emerging in the House are bad for the economy.”

Watch the full speech here.