Policy Analysis & Commentary
Joint Center Submits Comments to Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group Emphasizing the Need to Modernize the WSF
The Joint Center submitted comments to the Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group to emphasize the need to modernize the USF, which funds key initiatives, such as Lifeline, E-Rate, Rural…
Budget Reconciliation Cuts to the Social Safety Net and their Impact on Black Households
In July 2025, congressional Republicans passed, and President Donald Trump signed, a partisan budget reconciliation package that will reshape the American economy and further erode the social safety net. The…
Broadband or AI Regulation? Congress’s False Choice Risks Progress for Black Communities
Congress is currently considering a proposal that will make broadband funding contingent on whether states regulate artificial intelligence (AI). The provision — referred to as the AI moratorium — is…
Workforce Policy Director Contributed to AERA Handbook on Education Policy
Joint Center Workforce Policy Director Dr. Kayla Elliott published a chapter titled “Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Education Policy and Politics” in the Handbook of Education Policy Research, 2nd Edition. The second…
From the Reagan Era to Trump’s First 100 Days: Lessons Learned From America’s Black Think Tank
When the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies was founded in 1970, we stood at the dawn of a new political era — one shaped by the victories of…
Joint Center Tracker Final Update of Racial Diversity of Top Staff Hires in 119th Congress
By LaShonda Brenson, Ph.D. and Kimberly Victor As of Feb. 28, members of Congress have filled 1,509 of the 1,599 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors)…
Joint Center Tracker Second Update of Racial Diversity of Top Staff Hires in 119th Congress
By LaShonda Brenson Ph.D., and Kimberly Victor As of January 10, members of Congress have filled 1,466 of the 1,599 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors)…
Joint Center Tracker Update of Racial Diversity of Top Staff Hires in 119th Congress
By LaShonda Brenson, Ph.D., and Kimberly Victor There are 1602 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors) in the personal offices of new and returning members of…
The Good Jobs Collaborative Responds to House Passage of ‘A Stronger Workforce For America Act’
The Good Job Collaborative — a diverse collective of organizations, including the Joint Center, dedicated to advancing a worker-centered workforce development system — released a response to the U.S. passage…
118th Congress Most Diverse in History, But Lacks Representation in Top Staff Hires
There are 1,599 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors) in the personal offices of new and returning members of the 118th Congress. Of that number, Congress…