In the News
On any given day, Groundwork's analyses, op-eds, reports, and commentary are featured in leading publications and on the most influential news programs and podcasts.
On any given day, Groundwork's analyses, op-eds, reports, and commentary are featured in leading publications and on the most influential news programs and podcasts.
“The gains that the top is seeing far, far, far outpace the gains — if any — that the bottom is seeing,” said Elizabeth Pancotti, vice-president of policy at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive think-tank. “What we’re seeing today is that there are really two separate economies: one for people who make their primary income through investment and passive income . . . and then typical workers who clock in day in and day out.”
“We’re starting to see a greater understanding among Democrats, both progressives and more moderate Democrats, that this is a critical issue if you care about public services,” said Kitty Richards, a senior fellow at Groundwork Collaborative and former Biden Treasury official. “The appetite among voters is really growing for solutions and for bold action, and so we’re going to see these fights play out really dramatically over the next couple years.”
Paychecks fail to cover the basics, and AI investment casts thin veneer over ugly economic reality.
“There are strategic ways to use tariffs to crack down on unfair trade practices,” Liz Pancotti, vice president of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a liberal think tank, told HuffPost. “But going back and forth with Canada, which is a vital partner to our auto supply chain, is really not the way to do that.”
“Vance may try to distance himself from neoclassical economics on his press tours, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen any action from him that’s any different,” said Liz Pancotti, vice president of policy, advocacy and research at the Groundwork Collaborative, a left-leaning think tank. “He talks a big game, but falls to the exact same corporate interests that the party is beholden to.”
"Trump is once again explicitly admitting his broad-based tariffs raise prices for Americans — and it's true from groceries to back-to-school shopping to buying a new home," Alex Jacquez, senior vice president of policy, advocacy and research at Groundwork Collaborative, said in a statement.
A new study by two progressive think tanks — the Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation — estimates that a typical basket of school supplies costs nearly 8% more this year than last year. It’s an increase of roughly $12 per child. The organizations attribute the price hikes to the United States’ war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The cost of a typical school supply list – including notebooks, paper, pencils and glue sticks – is nearly $175, almost 8% higher than in 2025, according to an analysis by Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation, two progressive think tanks.
The cost of school supplies has risen nearly 8 percent since last year, according to a report from the left-leaning groups the Century Foundation and Groundwork Collaborative, which pointed out that the makers of such school staples as Elmer’s glue and Sharpies and Expo markers, Mead and Five Star notebooks, and Logitech headphones have all spoken publicly about raising their prices because of the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported goods.
Liz Pancotti, vice president at Groundwork Collaborative, said she’ll be watching to see if consumers cut back on Halloween. “Are they having kids do it yourself with a sheet and cutting a couple holes out or are they buying a costume?” she said.