An Abdication of Fiscal Responsibility

President Donald Trump signs the First Step Act and the Juvenile Justice Reform Act in the Oval Office of the White House December 21, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

America is the land of second chances and new beginnings — and second chances are good, evidence-based criminal justice policy. For the better part of a decade, every April has been proclaimed “Second Chance Month.” This designation provides an opportunity to focus on the importance of rehabilitation, redemption, and breaking cycles of recidivism and incarceration — not only for individuals and families, but also for public safety. It also allows us to identify and begin to dismantle barriers to reentry such as lack of health care access and counterproductive bans on formerly incarcerated people accessing public benefits.

• The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget argues that the House’s proposed $2 trillion in spending cuts should be the bare minimum, emphasizing the need for further deficit reduction to ensure long-term fiscal stability.
   
• The Peter G. Peterson Foundation warns that the total cost of Republicans' tax priorities could add up to $9 trillion to the national debt.
   
• Forbes examines the enduring debate over the IRS Tax System Modernization Program, analyzing the challenges and political hurdles that have prevented meaningful progress on updating the U.S. tax system.
   
• The Niskanen Center and Tax Policy Center lay out plans for disentangling the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), which would help to address improper payments and improve program efficiency.
   
• 🔒Bloomberg Government notes that with a high federal deficit and ever-increasing spending, the U.S. economy is signaling an impending fiscal crisis that requires immediate action through balanced tax increases and spending cuts.
   
• Brett Loper and G. William Hoagland write in The Hill that changing the baseline policy would set a regrettable precedent. 

• The editors at🔒Bloomberg Government review the consequences of cutting Medicaid and reforming Medicare.
   
• Health Affairs looks at the Trump Administration’s executive order on health care price transparency, which refocuses federal agency efforts on improving compliance and access to already-required price data.

• Another replication of City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (CUNY ASAP) student success initiative, this time implemented at SUNY Westchester Community College, was found to boost graduation rates, researchers at MDRC report.
   
• An op-ed in the Lawton Constitution praises AV’s partnership for proven programs in Oklahoma, which will provide up to $10 million in matching dollars for policies and initiatives backed by rigorous, causal research.

• In an attempt to alleviate overcrowding and understaffing in its prisons, New York plans to begin releasing certain low-risk people and letting them complete their sentences on parole supervision. The plan comes after the state fired around 2,000 corrections officers who had engaged in an unauthorized strike, WRGB reports.
   
• In an op-ed for the Missouri Independent, Rachel Wright, national policy director for Right On Crime, explains how “tough-on-crime" policies like those being debated now in Missouri can be counterproductive, driving up prison populations and costs while not improving the rate crimes are solved.
   
• In San Francisco, car break-ins are now at their lowest levels since 2003, SFist reports. The massive drop over previous years is at least partially attributable to the deployment of an array of new police technologies, including license plate readers, drones, and bait cars.