Brendan Duke
@brendanvduke.bsky.social
Fiscal policy wonk at Center on Budget & Policy Priorities| Former Biden-Harris White House National Economic Council | Former Senate Aide | CAP/JEC Alum | Brock Purdy Fan Club Founder
The typical joke is that they don’t have a health care plan and they’ll never have one.
But they do and it passed last July: taking away four people’s health care to pay for a tax cut for one millionaire family.
But they do and it passed last July: taking away four people’s health care to pay for a tax cut for one millionaire family.
November 20, 2025 at 11:53 PM
The typical joke is that they don’t have a health care plan and they’ll never have one.
But they do and it passed last July: taking away four people’s health care to pay for a tax cut for one millionaire family.
But they do and it passed last July: taking away four people’s health care to pay for a tax cut for one millionaire family.
New Argentina just dropped.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán says the U.S. will provide a “financial shield” as he struggles to win reelection
Meanwhile Trump President said last week “I don’t want to hear about affordability” as health care premiums explode & food/energy prices rise.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán says the U.S. will provide a “financial shield” as he struggles to win reelection
Meanwhile Trump President said last week “I don’t want to hear about affordability” as health care premiums explode & food/energy prices rise.
November 10, 2025 at 10:42 PM
New Argentina just dropped.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán says the U.S. will provide a “financial shield” as he struggles to win reelection
Meanwhile Trump President said last week “I don’t want to hear about affordability” as health care premiums explode & food/energy prices rise.
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán says the U.S. will provide a “financial shield” as he struggles to win reelection
Meanwhile Trump President said last week “I don’t want to hear about affordability” as health care premiums explode & food/energy prices rise.
What's even worse, it appears the House GOP is focused on the opposite of legislative safeguards and instead seeking ways to make it *easier* for President Trump to violate a budget agreement and impound funds.
November 6, 2025 at 7:24 PM
What's even worse, it appears the House GOP is focused on the opposite of legislative safeguards and instead seeking ways to make it *easier* for President Trump to violate a budget agreement and impound funds.
And for all the talk about preserving the filibuster from Senate GOP, they enacted the first-ever party-line rescission to bypass the filibuster.
Another question is how a funding deal addresses this end-run around the bipartisan approps process.
Another question is how a funding deal addresses this end-run around the bipartisan approps process.
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 PM
And for all the talk about preserving the filibuster from Senate GOP, they enacted the first-ever party-line rescission to bypass the filibuster.
Another question is how a funding deal addresses this end-run around the bipartisan approps process.
Another question is how a funding deal addresses this end-run around the bipartisan approps process.
For example, the Trump Admin has frozen funding for medical research, withheld billions for K-12 funding, & fired thousands of workers at agencies like the SSA despite there being funds to pay them.
An important question is how a funding deal addresses these problems.
An important question is how a funding deal addresses these problems.
November 6, 2025 at 7:22 PM
For example, the Trump Admin has frozen funding for medical research, withheld billions for K-12 funding, & fired thousands of workers at agencies like the SSA despite there being funds to pay them.
An important question is how a funding deal addresses these problems.
An important question is how a funding deal addresses these problems.
Shutdowns hurt people and it will be good news when the government reopens.
But it is vital that Congress also address both the looming massive spike in health care costs for 20M *and* deliver a funding deal that the President can’t undo the parts he just doesn’t like. 🧵
But it is vital that Congress also address both the looming massive spike in health care costs for 20M *and* deliver a funding deal that the President can’t undo the parts he just doesn’t like. 🧵
November 6, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Shutdowns hurt people and it will be good news when the government reopens.
But it is vital that Congress also address both the looming massive spike in health care costs for 20M *and* deliver a funding deal that the President can’t undo the parts he just doesn’t like. 🧵
But it is vital that Congress also address both the looming massive spike in health care costs for 20M *and* deliver a funding deal that the President can’t undo the parts he just doesn’t like. 🧵
Trump Administration has taken multiple affirmative steps to raise--not lower--families' costs including some over the last month:
October 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Trump Administration has taken multiple affirmative steps to raise--not lower--families' costs including some over the last month:
Trump Administration has taken multiple affirmative steps to raise--not lower--families' costs including over the last month:
October 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Trump Administration has taken multiple affirmative steps to raise--not lower--families' costs including over the last month:
The Admin is claiming these cuts were required by the shutdown.
They weren’t.
This was their choice and it’s a bad one.
They weren’t.
This was their choice and it’s a bad one.
October 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
The Admin is claiming these cuts were required by the shutdown.
They weren’t.
This was their choice and it’s a bad one.
They weren’t.
This was their choice and it’s a bad one.
Firing federal employees during a shutdown is not only illegal but must be seen for what it is: blatant extortion.
The Trump Administration is using working people and their families as pawns in a power play with no concern for who gets hurt.
The Trump Administration is using working people and their families as pawns in a power play with no concern for who gets hurt.
October 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Firing federal employees during a shutdown is not only illegal but must be seen for what it is: blatant extortion.
The Trump Administration is using working people and their families as pawns in a power play with no concern for who gets hurt.
The Trump Administration is using working people and their families as pawns in a power play with no concern for who gets hurt.
The Trump Administration’s continued efforts to break the 2025 funding deal reached in March are seriously undermining efforts to reach a funding agreement for 2026 because lawmakers need to know if they reach a deal, it will be kept. 🧵
September 18, 2025 at 10:49 PM
The Trump Administration’s continued efforts to break the 2025 funding deal reached in March are seriously undermining efforts to reach a funding agreement for 2026 because lawmakers need to know if they reach a deal, it will be kept. 🧵
NEW analysis on the GOP megabill's core policy choice: each millionaire's tax cut is paid for by taking away health insurance from 4 people while reducing health care benefits from many others.
September 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
NEW analysis on the GOP megabill's core policy choice: each millionaire's tax cut is paid for by taking away health insurance from 4 people while reducing health care benefits from many others.
An example of the explicit policy choice made by Congressional Republicans and Trump: they could have had zero cuts to Medicaid and SNAP while reducing the top 10%'s tax cut for the same fiscal cost.
The top 10% would've still gotten a tax cut.
They chose different.
The top 10% would've still gotten a tax cut.
They chose different.
August 11, 2025 at 6:29 PM
An example of the explicit policy choice made by Congressional Republicans and Trump: they could have had zero cuts to Medicaid and SNAP while reducing the top 10%'s tax cut for the same fiscal cost.
The top 10% would've still gotten a tax cut.
They chose different.
The top 10% would've still gotten a tax cut.
They chose different.
NEW: Congressional Budget Office analysis of who wins and loses in the GOP megabill.
Top 10% gets $13,600 a year (2.7% increase in income)
Bottom 10% *loses* $1,200 a year (3.1% drop in income)
This isn't shared sacrifice--it's class warfare.
Top 10% gets $13,600 a year (2.7% increase in income)
Bottom 10% *loses* $1,200 a year (3.1% drop in income)
This isn't shared sacrifice--it's class warfare.
August 11, 2025 at 6:10 PM
NEW: Congressional Budget Office analysis of who wins and loses in the GOP megabill.
Top 10% gets $13,600 a year (2.7% increase in income)
Bottom 10% *loses* $1,200 a year (3.1% drop in income)
This isn't shared sacrifice--it's class warfare.
Top 10% gets $13,600 a year (2.7% increase in income)
Bottom 10% *loses* $1,200 a year (3.1% drop in income)
This isn't shared sacrifice--it's class warfare.
The tradeoff at the heart of the flawed GOP megabill: cutting programs that help people afford groceries and health care in order to cut taxes for households making over $500k.
July 31, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The tradeoff at the heart of the flawed GOP megabill: cutting programs that help people afford groceries and health care in order to cut taxes for households making over $500k.
Our analysis of the full Joint Committee on Taxation tables of the flawed GOP megabill: a $1T tax cut for the top 1% and a staggering $2.4T tax cut for the top 10%.
Tax cuts of around $500B for households in the bottom 60%--the very folks who also face the brunt of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
Tax cuts of around $500B for households in the bottom 60%--the very folks who also face the brunt of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
July 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Our analysis of the full Joint Committee on Taxation tables of the flawed GOP megabill: a $1T tax cut for the top 1% and a staggering $2.4T tax cut for the top 10%.
Tax cuts of around $500B for households in the bottom 60%--the very folks who also face the brunt of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
Tax cuts of around $500B for households in the bottom 60%--the very folks who also face the brunt of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
Let's put the $3.4 trillion cost of Republican reconciliation law in context.
Its tax cuts are so costly that Republicans could have extended all of the expiring tax cuts for families (including millionaires) without cutting SNAP/Medicaid...and it would have cost *less*.
Its tax cuts are so costly that Republicans could have extended all of the expiring tax cuts for families (including millionaires) without cutting SNAP/Medicaid...and it would have cost *less*.
July 21, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Let's put the $3.4 trillion cost of Republican reconciliation law in context.
Its tax cuts are so costly that Republicans could have extended all of the expiring tax cuts for families (including millionaires) without cutting SNAP/Medicaid...and it would have cost *less*.
Its tax cuts are so costly that Republicans could have extended all of the expiring tax cuts for families (including millionaires) without cutting SNAP/Medicaid...and it would have cost *less*.
The Congressional Budget Office's final verdict: the GOP tax and spending bill will cost $3.4 trillion over ten years.
July 21, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The Congressional Budget Office's final verdict: the GOP tax and spending bill will cost $3.4 trillion over ten years.
After three months of hard work, seems like the Trump Administration has added rounding to the Liberation Day formulas.
July 7, 2025 at 7:19 PM
After three months of hard work, seems like the Trump Administration has added rounding to the Liberation Day formulas.
NEW: The Senate version of One Big Beautiful Bill is one big ugly transfer of wealth from low-income families to the rich.
Americans struggling to get by will pay more for groceries & health care so the highest income families can get big tax cuts. This isn’t shared sacrifice.
Americans struggling to get by will pay more for groceries & health care so the highest income families can get big tax cuts. This isn’t shared sacrifice.
June 28, 2025 at 9:25 PM
NEW: The Senate version of One Big Beautiful Bill is one big ugly transfer of wealth from low-income families to the rich.
Americans struggling to get by will pay more for groceries & health care so the highest income families can get big tax cuts. This isn’t shared sacrifice.
Americans struggling to get by will pay more for groceries & health care so the highest income families can get big tax cuts. This isn’t shared sacrifice.
Congressional Republicans constantly say that we need to pass One Big Beautiful Bill—and make low-income families pay more for health care and groceries—to avoid raising taxes on families.
But the tax cuts go far beyond the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts for families
But the tax cuts go far beyond the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts for families
June 27, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Congressional Republicans constantly say that we need to pass One Big Beautiful Bill—and make low-income families pay more for health care and groceries—to avoid raising taxes on families.
But the tax cuts go far beyond the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts for families
But the tax cuts go far beyond the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts for families
We do not yet have a full distributional analysis of the Senate GOP leadership's One Big Beautiful Bill, but here is a *rough* guess of the combined spending and tax cuts.
Low-income families being asked to sacrifice on behalf of tax cuts for high-income families.
Low-income families being asked to sacrifice on behalf of tax cuts for high-income families.
June 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
We do not yet have a full distributional analysis of the Senate GOP leadership's One Big Beautiful Bill, but here is a *rough* guess of the combined spending and tax cuts.
Low-income families being asked to sacrifice on behalf of tax cuts for high-income families.
Low-income families being asked to sacrifice on behalf of tax cuts for high-income families.
People have been debating and worried about the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall for decades. It's widely seen as an enormous fiscal challenge.
One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts' permanent cost is actually *larger* than the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall.
One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts' permanent cost is actually *larger* than the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall.
June 18, 2025 at 6:42 PM
People have been debating and worried about the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall for decades. It's widely seen as an enormous fiscal challenge.
One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts' permanent cost is actually *larger* than the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall.
One Big Beautiful Bill's tax cuts' permanent cost is actually *larger* than the Social Security Trust Fund shortfall.
A common claim is that One Big Beautiful Bill is deficit neutral when you account for economic growth.
But we've got five independent macroeconomic analyses of OBBB and none of them find it's anywhere close to deficit neutral.
In fact, two of them show it slows growth.
But we've got five independent macroeconomic analyses of OBBB and none of them find it's anywhere close to deficit neutral.
In fact, two of them show it slows growth.
June 12, 2025 at 10:18 PM
A common claim is that One Big Beautiful Bill is deficit neutral when you account for economic growth.
But we've got five independent macroeconomic analyses of OBBB and none of them find it's anywhere close to deficit neutral.
In fact, two of them show it slows growth.
But we've got five independent macroeconomic analyses of OBBB and none of them find it's anywhere close to deficit neutral.
In fact, two of them show it slows growth.