Roosevelt Forward
@rooseveltforward.org
Advocacy affiliate of @rooseveltinstitute.org. We believe that new politics and policymaking—that can equalize power in our society—are possible. www.rooseveltforward.org || Subscribe to our Substack #FiresideStacks 🔥 firesidestacks.com
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Roosevelt Forward
@rooseveltforward.org
· Feb 20
👀 The latest with an eye toward the long game.
#FiresideStacks🔥 is a weekly newsletter about progressive politics, policy, and economics.
Don't miss an issue—subscribe today! rooseveltforward.substack.com/about
#FiresideStacks🔥 is a weekly newsletter about progressive politics, policy, and economics.
Don't miss an issue—subscribe today! rooseveltforward.substack.com/about
You know how annoying tax season is? There’s a reason for that.
A new breakdown shows how tax filing was made harder on purpose—and who benefited when the free IRS Direct File was eliminated. #TaxSeason #FreeFile https://bit.ly/3MioHsJ
A new breakdown shows how tax filing was made harder on purpose—and who benefited when the free IRS Direct File was eliminated. #TaxSeason #FreeFile https://bit.ly/3MioHsJ
How the Trump Administration Made Tax Filing Harder—and More Profitable
With the opening of tax season this week, it’s a good time to remind Americans that the misery of filing taxes isn’t an accident.
rooseveltforward.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:15 AM
You know how annoying tax season is? There’s a reason for that.
A new breakdown shows how tax filing was made harder on purpose—and who benefited when the free IRS Direct File was eliminated. #TaxSeason #FreeFile https://bit.ly/3MioHsJ
A new breakdown shows how tax filing was made harder on purpose—and who benefited when the free IRS Direct File was eliminated. #TaxSeason #FreeFile https://bit.ly/3MioHsJ
Filing your taxes shouldn't be this hard.
The IRS built a free filing tool that worked.
This administration killed it.
Tax prep companies are cashing in.
This is how complexity become a profit strategy, Noa Rosinplotz in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/3NNVCFZ
The IRS built a free filing tool that worked.
This administration killed it.
Tax prep companies are cashing in.
This is how complexity become a profit strategy, Noa Rosinplotz in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/3NNVCFZ
January 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Filing your taxes shouldn't be this hard.
The IRS built a free filing tool that worked.
This administration killed it.
Tax prep companies are cashing in.
This is how complexity become a profit strategy, Noa Rosinplotz in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/3NNVCFZ
The IRS built a free filing tool that worked.
This administration killed it.
Tax prep companies are cashing in.
This is how complexity become a profit strategy, Noa Rosinplotz in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/3NNVCFZ
New from our President and CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social: @mayor.nyc.gov is reshaping the city's affordability approach, from multibillion-dollar childcare to rent freezes, wage floors, and people-led policy engagement.
Read more in our latest #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4rfYtWD
Read more in our latest #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4rfYtWD
January 27, 2026 at 9:00 PM
New from our President and CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social: @mayor.nyc.gov is reshaping the city's affordability approach, from multibillion-dollar childcare to rent freezes, wage floors, and people-led policy engagement.
Read more in our latest #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4rfYtWD
Read more in our latest #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4rfYtWD
Affordability is at the center of people’s needs and today's politics.
Our President & CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social highlights @mayor.nyc.gov as an exemplar for tackling care, housing, and wages by listening and using a people-first approach to policymaking.
https://bit.ly/4t2IZXO
Our President & CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social highlights @mayor.nyc.gov as an exemplar for tackling care, housing, and wages by listening and using a people-first approach to policymaking.
https://bit.ly/4t2IZXO
January 24, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Affordability is at the center of people’s needs and today's politics.
Our President & CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social highlights @mayor.nyc.gov as an exemplar for tackling care, housing, and wages by listening and using a people-first approach to policymaking.
https://bit.ly/4t2IZXO
Our President & CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social highlights @mayor.nyc.gov as an exemplar for tackling care, housing, and wages by listening and using a people-first approach to policymaking.
https://bit.ly/4t2IZXO
Reposted by Roosevelt Forward
You deserve food, shelter and medical care. You don't deserve an economic/political system that shames you for not being able to afford any of those www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
Billionaires Want You to Blame Yourself. We Win When We Stop.
For most of my life, I thought my hardest moments—the bills I couldn’t pay, the groceries I had to put back at the checkout line, the dental emergency that spiraled into medical debt and eventually co...
www.firesidestacks.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:46 PM
You deserve food, shelter and medical care. You don't deserve an economic/political system that shames you for not being able to afford any of those www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
States know the federal minimum wage is too low—that’s why 19 raised theirs.
So why do most still rely on outdated federal overtime rules?
If wages must keep up with inflation, overtime should too. Patrick Oakford in this week’s #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/49NboIG
So why do most still rely on outdated federal overtime rules?
If wages must keep up with inflation, overtime should too. Patrick Oakford in this week’s #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/49NboIG
January 15, 2026 at 10:08 PM
States know the federal minimum wage is too low—that’s why 19 raised theirs.
So why do most still rely on outdated federal overtime rules?
If wages must keep up with inflation, overtime should too. Patrick Oakford in this week’s #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/49NboIG
So why do most still rely on outdated federal overtime rules?
If wages must keep up with inflation, overtime should too. Patrick Oakford in this week’s #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/49NboIG
@elizabeth-warren.bsky.social reminds us that real economic leadership is possible if we have the guts to take on corporate power directly.
Elizabeth Warren Fights to Defend the Consumer Protection Agency She Helped Create
Elon Musk’s campaign to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will end up hurting the very people Donald Trump promised to safeguard.
www.newyorker.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:07 PM
@elizabeth-warren.bsky.social reminds us that real economic leadership is possible if we have the guts to take on corporate power directly.
“Abundance” for the rich shouldn’t come at the expense of affordability for everyone else.
But billionaire financing of campaigns has meant watered-down oversight, abandoned pro-worker and consumer legislation, and slow walking reforms at agencies like the CFPB.
But billionaire financing of campaigns has meant watered-down oversight, abandoned pro-worker and consumer legislation, and slow walking reforms at agencies like the CFPB.
January 12, 2026 at 6:07 PM
“Abundance” for the rich shouldn’t come at the expense of affordability for everyone else.
But billionaire financing of campaigns has meant watered-down oversight, abandoned pro-worker and consumer legislation, and slow walking reforms at agencies like the CFPB.
But billionaire financing of campaigns has meant watered-down oversight, abandoned pro-worker and consumer legislation, and slow walking reforms at agencies like the CFPB.
“For a lot of powerful people [...] ‘too progressive’ is code used to undermine any economic agenda that favors working people.”
🎯 from @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social at @pressclubdc.bsky.social.
The debate we should have is not left vs. right, but how we ensure working families can afford to live.
🎯 from @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social at @pressclubdc.bsky.social.
The debate we should have is not left vs. right, but how we ensure working families can afford to live.
January 12, 2026 at 6:06 PM
“For a lot of powerful people [...] ‘too progressive’ is code used to undermine any economic agenda that favors working people.”
🎯 from @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social at @pressclubdc.bsky.social.
The debate we should have is not left vs. right, but how we ensure working families can afford to live.
🎯 from @elizabeth-warren.bsky.social at @pressclubdc.bsky.social.
The debate we should have is not left vs. right, but how we ensure working families can afford to live.
Reposted by Roosevelt Forward
Shame tells people their suffering reflects bad personal choices. Shame isolates and silences us. Our billionaire class thrives off of — depends on — our fear, our shame, and our isolation. @fairshareamerica.bsky.social @rooseveltforward.org
www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
Billionaires Want You to Blame Yourself. We Win When We Stop.
For most of my life, I thought my hardest moments—the bills I couldn’t pay, the groceries I had to put back at the checkout line, the dental emergency that spiraled into medical debt and eventually co...
www.firesidestacks.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Shame tells people their suffering reflects bad personal choices. Shame isolates and silences us. Our billionaire class thrives off of — depends on — our fear, our shame, and our isolation. @fairshareamerica.bsky.social @rooseveltforward.org
www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
www.firesidestacks.com/p/billionair...
The Trump Admin keeps putting forward flashy housing ideas that are unlikely to lower costs.
Investor bans that barely move the needle on supply, 50-year mortgages that saddle families with debt, and gutting agencies that stop abuse—do little to address the affordability crisis.
Must-read thread ⬇️
Investor bans that barely move the needle on supply, 50-year mortgages that saddle families with debt, and gutting agencies that stop abuse—do little to address the affordability crisis.
Must-read thread ⬇️
1/ Just to zoom out to the bigger picture here – President Trump’s floated ban on investors purchasing single-family homes is part of a broader pattern of faux-affordability rhetoric 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b...
Trump Wants to Bar Wall St. Investors From Buying Single-Family Homes
www.nytimes.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:57 PM
The Trump Admin keeps putting forward flashy housing ideas that are unlikely to lower costs.
Investor bans that barely move the needle on supply, 50-year mortgages that saddle families with debt, and gutting agencies that stop abuse—do little to address the affordability crisis.
Must-read thread ⬇️
Investor bans that barely move the needle on supply, 50-year mortgages that saddle families with debt, and gutting agencies that stop abuse—do little to address the affordability crisis.
Must-read thread ⬇️
So much of what we’re told is “personal failure” is actually public policy failure. Shame keeps people silent and that silence protects the billionaire class.
@kristencrowell.bsky.social of @fairshareamerica.bsky.social in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4jwQW2T
@kristencrowell.bsky.social of @fairshareamerica.bsky.social in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4jwQW2T
January 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM
So much of what we’re told is “personal failure” is actually public policy failure. Shame keeps people silent and that silence protects the billionaire class.
@kristencrowell.bsky.social of @fairshareamerica.bsky.social in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4jwQW2T
@kristencrowell.bsky.social of @fairshareamerica.bsky.social in this week's #FiresideStacks🔥
https://bit.ly/4jwQW2T
6/6 The Trump Admin seems to want U.S. taxpayers to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure while companies take the profits.
We’ve seen this movie before.
Public dollars should benefit the American people—not guarantee corporate profits.
We’ve seen this movie before.
Public dollars should benefit the American people—not guarantee corporate profits.
Trump suggests US taxpayers could reimburse oil firms for Venezuela investment
President says a ‘tremendous amount of money’ will need to be spent repairing country’s infrastructure
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:43 PM
6/6 The Trump Admin seems to want U.S. taxpayers to rebuild Venezuela’s oil infrastructure while companies take the profits.
We’ve seen this movie before.
Public dollars should benefit the American people—not guarantee corporate profits.
We’ve seen this movie before.
Public dollars should benefit the American people—not guarantee corporate profits.
At the federal level, the fight over affordability tools continued: A DC District Court ordered that the CFPB remain funded while litigation proceeds, casting doubt on efforts to dismantle one of the govt's most effective consumer protection agencies.
Court orders Vought to keep CFPB funded while case is underway
The order from a DC District Court judge also casts doubt on the Trump administration's efforts to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
www.politico.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:43 PM
At the federal level, the fight over affordability tools continued: A DC District Court ordered that the CFPB remain funded while litigation proceeds, casting doubt on efforts to dismantle one of the govt's most effective consumer protection agencies.
We were also reminded that markets don’t police themselves. As our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social told NPR, attacks on merger review are really about protecting corporate power. When enforcement is weak, corporations raise prices, squeeze consumers, and block competition.
How Trump's 'crony capitalism' has shaken up U.S. business
His policies are picking winners and losers — and blurring the lines between business and government.
www.npr.org
January 6, 2026 at 9:43 PM
We were also reminded that markets don’t police themselves. As our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social told NPR, attacks on merger review are really about protecting corporate power. When enforcement is weak, corporations raise prices, squeeze consumers, and block competition.
Similarly, @mayorofseattle.bsky.social is confronting corporate pricing power and strengthening incomes through wage floors and labor standards—treating affordability as a governing problem.
Can Seattle's next mayor bring down the cost of rent — or pizza?
In the Seattle mayoral race, many voters are focused on the cost of living in an ever-more-expensive city. They’re pressing the candidates on who can build more housing and make the city more affordab...
www.kuow.org
January 6, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Similarly, @mayorofseattle.bsky.social is confronting corporate pricing power and strengthening incomes through wage floors and labor standards—treating affordability as a governing problem.
Just days into his term, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social is already working to “deliver an agenda of safety, affordability and abundance.”
The early signal: an affordability agenda that puts city authority to work—lowering prices and raising purchasing power.
The early signal: an affordability agenda that puts city authority to work—lowering prices and raising purchasing power.
Mamdani Lays Out Agenda of ‘Affordability and Abundance’ on First Day in Office
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Just days into his term, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social is already working to “deliver an agenda of safety, affordability and abundance.”
The early signal: an affordability agenda that puts city authority to work—lowering prices and raising purchasing power.
The early signal: an affordability agenda that puts city authority to work—lowering prices and raising purchasing power.
We’re back! While our socials were quiet, the work of governing continued.
Over the holidays, one thing stayed clear: affordability reflects choices—about wages, enforcement, and corporate power.
Here’s what we took note of—and why it matters—as 2026 gets underway 👇🧵
Over the holidays, one thing stayed clear: affordability reflects choices—about wages, enforcement, and corporate power.
Here’s what we took note of—and why it matters—as 2026 gets underway 👇🧵
January 6, 2026 at 9:41 PM
We’re back! While our socials were quiet, the work of governing continued.
Over the holidays, one thing stayed clear: affordability reflects choices—about wages, enforcement, and corporate power.
Here’s what we took note of—and why it matters—as 2026 gets underway 👇🧵
Over the holidays, one thing stayed clear: affordability reflects choices—about wages, enforcement, and corporate power.
Here’s what we took note of—and why it matters—as 2026 gets underway 👇🧵
Reposted by Roosevelt Forward
Important points often overlooked in the discussions
79 million Americans already struggle with medical bills or medical debt. Telling them to “pay up front and deduct it later” isn’t reform—it’s denial. @mirandayaver.bsky.social takes on Sen. Hawley's new proposal in the latest #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/4p6sren
December 18, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Important points often overlooked in the discussions
Reposted by Roosevelt Forward
My latest for @rooseveltforward.org on Hawley's misguided proposal to allow folks to deduct up to $25,000 in health care costs, in lieu of comprehensive health insurance protections. The catch: Many don't file, most don't itemize, & most can't wait for reimbursement open.substack.com/pub/roosevel...
Tax-Code Theater Isn’t Health Reform
America is still waiting on President Trump’s “concept of a plan” to reform the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) recently pitched his own preferred health reform that would al...
open.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:43 PM
My latest for @rooseveltforward.org on Hawley's misguided proposal to allow folks to deduct up to $25,000 in health care costs, in lieu of comprehensive health insurance protections. The catch: Many don't file, most don't itemize, & most can't wait for reimbursement open.substack.com/pub/roosevel...
@elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's appointment of Julie Su as NYC’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice—and what it means for delivering the #GoodLife for working New Yorkers ⬇️
December 19, 2025 at 9:45 PM
@elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's appointment of Julie Su as NYC’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice—and what it means for delivering the #GoodLife for working New Yorkers ⬇️
Important discussion featuring @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social in conversation with antitrust experts @linamkhan.bsky.social, @bedoyausa.bsky.social, and @dohamekki.bsky.social on how good governance can rein in corporate power to protect workers and consumers.
This is how to do regulation right ⬇️
This is how to do regulation right ⬇️
We made these very nerdy videos about reforms we think Democrats need to do if they ever get in power
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNhO...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNhO...
Why Regulation Will Make Democrats Popular Again // Project 2029: A Reimagining
YouTube video by Fast Politics w/ Molly Jong-Fast
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Important discussion featuring @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social in conversation with antitrust experts @linamkhan.bsky.social, @bedoyausa.bsky.social, and @dohamekki.bsky.social on how good governance can rein in corporate power to protect workers and consumers.
This is how to do regulation right ⬇️
This is how to do regulation right ⬇️
79 million Americans already struggle with medical bills or medical debt. Telling them to “pay up front and deduct it later” isn’t reform—it’s denial. @mirandayaver.bsky.social takes on Sen. Hawley's new proposal in the latest #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/4p6sren
December 18, 2025 at 10:58 PM
79 million Americans already struggle with medical bills or medical debt. Telling them to “pay up front and deduct it later” isn’t reform—it’s denial. @mirandayaver.bsky.social takes on Sen. Hawley's new proposal in the latest #FiresideStacks🔥 : https://bit.ly/4p6sren
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social spoke with @nicholsuprising.bsky.social about the hope of living up to Roosevelt’s New Deal agenda.
This legacy drives the work to better serve everyday Americans.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
This legacy drives the work to better serve everyday Americans.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
!["So it was that, while they were in the Oval Office, Mamdani steered the discussion to Roosevelt’s New Deal presidency—the legacy of which Trump has been attacking on so many fronts. 'I actually asked the president that we take a photo in front of the portrait [of FDR] and I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I’m doing in New York City.'"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7n5gvji5xg73aoarzadmkpw3/bafkreib6qhjiyihjoth2ugzmtrm2sjw7yg7w7jry6clnbogydna6mgdyoq@jpeg)
December 18, 2025 at 6:29 PM
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social spoke with @nicholsuprising.bsky.social about the hope of living up to Roosevelt’s New Deal agenda.
This legacy drives the work to better serve everyday Americans.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
This legacy drives the work to better serve everyday Americans.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
A 50-year mortgage won’t fix the housing crisis.
It turns today’s financial pressure into generational debt—especially for Black families already navigating unequal markets.
Read last week’s analysis in #FiresideStacks🔥: https://bit.ly/4qavdQJ
It turns today’s financial pressure into generational debt—especially for Black families already navigating unequal markets.
Read last week’s analysis in #FiresideStacks🔥: https://bit.ly/4qavdQJ
Trump’s “Death Pledge” Mortgage Proposal Looks Like a Scam—and Black Families Are the Target
Families across the country face rising rents and homes priced far beyond reach. And then the president floats a new idea: a 50-year home mortgage. It’s something millions of Americans want to believe...
www.firesidestacks.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:18 PM
A 50-year mortgage won’t fix the housing crisis.
It turns today’s financial pressure into generational debt—especially for Black families already navigating unequal markets.
Read last week’s analysis in #FiresideStacks🔥: https://bit.ly/4qavdQJ
It turns today’s financial pressure into generational debt—especially for Black families already navigating unequal markets.
Read last week’s analysis in #FiresideStacks🔥: https://bit.ly/4qavdQJ