EPI in the news

• Trump allows more foreign farm workers but cuts their wages by up to 32%

  New rules from the Trump administration will add at least 150,000 foreign farm workers with temporary H-2A visas in the United States, but will also reduce their wages by up to 32%, the Economic Policy Institute revealed on Tuesday, National Agriculture Day.

  Changes in the methodology used by the Department of Labor to calculate the wages of foreign farmworkers with H-2A visas, 90% of whom are Mexican, imply a decrease of 26 to 32% in their pay, explains Daniel Costa, director of research on immigration law and policy at the institute.

  This decrease in labor costs could mean a drop of up to 9% in the wages of American farm workers, so collectively, agricultural workers in the United States would lose between $4.4 billion and $5.4 billion annually in income, the researcher explains.

  Forbes | March 25, 2026
• In DC., Black workers are losing jobs at the highest rates

  Washington, D.C. had the highest unemployment in the country in 2025 with an average unemployment rate of 5.9%, per a new report by the Economic Policy Institute. The U.S. unemployment rate in 2025, on the other hand, loomed around 4.4%.

  “The labor market was unambiguously weaker through the first year of Trump’s second term, compared with the last year of Biden’s presidency,” the report, updated March 2026, said. “Sweeping federal job cuts, erratic tariff policies, and a retrenchment from diversity, equity, and inclusion are hallmarks of the 2025 labor market.”

  These factors, especially the federal job cuts, contributed to Washington’s higher unemployment rate. 

  The EPI found that in 2025 D.C. had an average Black unemployment rate of 9.5%, per the institute’s report that looked at state unemployment data by race and ethnicity. White unemployment in D.C. last year was a fraction of that at 3.7%.

  Essence | March 25, 2026
• IRS offers a child care tax break but the math doesn’t add up

  Your maximum qualifying expenses are capped at $3,000 for one qualifying child and $6,000 for two or more qualifying children. For a family earning $60,000 per year with one child, the resulting credit works out to roughly $600 after doing the math.

  Compare that to what you actually pay out of pocket at a daycare center, and the disconnect becomes painfully obvious. The average annual cost of center-based child care now runs approximately $13,254 per child nationwide, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

  The Street | March 25, 2026
• Topics of the day from EFE Economy on Tuesday, March 24, 2026

  New rules from the Donald Trump Administration will add at least 150,000 migrant farm workers with temporary H-2A visas, but will also reduce wages by up to 32%, a collective loss of more than $5 billion for both foreigners and Americans, reveals the Economic Policy Institute.

  EFE | March 25, 2026
• 10 Questions Your Boss Legally Can’t Ask But Does

  Employers cannot ask workers to finish tasks without pay. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must be paid for every hour they work, including prep time before a shift, tasks during an unpaid lunch, or anything done after clocking out. Wage violations are a major issue. The Economic Policy Institute estimates minimum wage violations cost workers about $15 billion each year, while total wage theft may reach $50 billion.

  Work + Money | March 25, 2026
• A Wealth Tax: Boost the Economy and Democracy

  It’s a long term necessity, but tragically, short term policy-makers put off a solution essential to a strong economy and restoration of our republican form of government. As of today, both the economy and democracy are in a downward spiral. A wealth tax is necessary to reverse this economic and political nosedive. Our guest today Josh Bivens, chief economist with the Economic Policy Institute, argues that while we’re far from being there politically, taxing the top .1% is a fair and just solution we can not put off forever. The problem is that many fear taxing the ultra-wealthy will mean they’ll get hit too. It’s still a political problem but we are getting closer with more democratic left leaning candidates winning.

  Keeping Democracy Alive (Pacifica Radio) | March 25, 2026
• Free expression (opinion)
  • Slippery Floor: It didn’t take long for Big Labor to decide that the $20 minimum hourly wage for fast food workers in California was too low. A report released yesterday by the union-aligned Economic Policy Institute argues that “regular and automatic adjustments” are necessary to protect those workers from inflation. In reality, workers need protection from the minimum wage itself. In November, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, found “a plethora of negative outcomes” from the institution of the $20 minimum wage in 2024. These included “higher menu prices for consumers, reductions in employee working hours, widespread elimination of overtime, and loss of benefits for employees.” Eventually every Burger King in California will be staffed by one guy making $112 an hour to keep an eye on the robots.
  The Wall Street Journal | March 25, 2026

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