In the News

Mention

First on Scripps: New analysis finds prices for school supplies, lunch staples have surged since 2025.

Stocking a standard school supply list will cost families nearly 8% more this year than in 2025, more than double the rate of inflation, according to an analysis by the progressive economic policy think tanks Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation (TCF) shared exclusively with Scripps News.

July 27, 2026 Scripps News

Mention

You’re not imagining it: Your kid’s school supplies cost more this year.

According to one analysis of the 21 most common school supply items by the Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation, two progressive think tanks, prices are up about 7.7 percent with parents paying an average of $173.45 for their school supply haul.

July 27, 2026 The 19th

Press Release

Back-to-School Bummer: Classroom Supplies, Lunchbox Essentials Up Nearly 11% This Year

Families face double-digit price increases for index cards, scissors, notebook paper, and lunchbox favorites as school year begins.

July 27, 2026 Groundwork Collaborative

Mention

Washington wants to have a word with your AI agent.

“For many Americans, the first place where they’re going to experience some of the head-scratching-at-best and infuriating-at-worst impacts of AI will be in the proverbial checkout line,” said Lindsay Owens, a former adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) who’s now the president and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative. “It’s been a little surprising to me that there hasn’t been more conversation about this.”

July 24, 2026 Politico

Mention

Surveillance pricing be gone! … Or not?

Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Washington-based affordability think tank Groundwork Collaborative, doesn’t agree. “If you get a discount and I don’t, I paid more than you,” she said. “That’s no different than me being charged more than you.”

July 24, 2026 Politico

Mention

4 Prompts That Can Tell You What Chatbots Really Know About You.

This prompt was eye-opening for Lindsay Owens, the chief executive of Groundwork Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on economic policy that has been studying the impact of A.I. on consumer privacy. ChatGPT made correct observations about her busy schedule as a frequent traveler and mother of a young child, as well as her shopping behavior.

July 23, 2026 New York Times

Press Release

NEW OP-ED: Lindsay Owens Asks “How Do We Stop AI Agents From Becoming the Most Sophisticated Snake Oil Salesmen Yet?”

As major retailers and tech giants like Walmart and Google roll out AI assistants that help consumers shop, purchase, and invest, questions remain as to whether these tools truly aim to help shoppers or are built to pad corporate profits.

July 23, 2026 Groundwork Collaborative

Mention

Washington Watchdogs Take Notice As AI Becomes Retail’s Front Door.

This issue has caught the attention of the Groundwork Collaborative, a public policy advocacy group. In a The Capitol Forum op-ed, executive director Lindsay Owens wrote, “Troubling for users and economic fairness writ large, it is increasingly apparent that their choices are determined not by the consumer’s interest but by the bottom line of the companies that build and deploy them.”

July 19, 2026 Forbes

Mention

A new piece of Democrats’ midterm strategy: Being ‘practical’.

"There has been a learning process in being able to take what Trump and the Republicans are doing and make sure that [candidates] are coming back to the real-world economic implications of whatever that might be," said Democratic strategist Alex Jacquez, who served in the Biden White House. "That's where maybe [Democrats] haven't always, in the recent past, made the full connection all the way through."

July 17, 2026 Los Angeles Times

Press Release

Trump’s Economic Chaos Continues to Batter Working Families’ Budgets

Federal Reserve contacts report any increase in sales was due to higher prices, not volume, as Americans are forced to spend more to get less in Trump’s economy.

July 17, 2026 Groundwork Collaborative