New data released today by the Community Sponsorship Hub shows significant interest by private sponsors in resettling refugees they know through the Welcome Corps, a State Department program that empowers U.S. sponsors to support refugee resettlement in their local communities.  Three months after the launch of the program’s expansion to “Sponsor Someone You Know,”  more than 13,000 applications have been submitted. Each application requires at least five U.S. citizens or permanent residents to formally join as a sponsor, bringing the total number of sponsors enrolled to over 65,000 ..read more

In March 2023, the Biden administration achieved two milestone breakthroughs in rebuilding the legal immigration system, in the wake of drastic cuts under the Trump administration and Covid-19’s  lingering impacts. More than 6,000 refugees were resettled in the U.S. in March, the highest monthly number in six years. In the same month, the State Department issued more than one million nonimmigrant visas – the highest number in any given month in 10 years. The fact that both U.S. refugee admissions and visa issuance numbers are booming in March indicates that the administration’s concerted ..read more

This piece is part of a series of briefs looking at specific state proposals for family tax benefit reforms based on a larger Niskanen report, The State of our Families: Child and Dependent Tax Benefits in the States. You can find other state briefs here. In announcing his Bold Beginnings Initiative last fall, Governor Mike DeWine declared his intention to make Ohio the “best place in the nation to have a baby and raise a family.” His new budget makes a down payment on this promise with a series of investments in schools, mental health services, and other family policies. Most import ..read more

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 8, 2024 — The Niskanen Center commends a recent letter from a bipartisan group of organizations urging Congress to update the Supplemental Security Income program’s asset limits by incorporating the bipartisan, bicameral SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act in potential upcoming legislative packages. Signatories include the United States Chamber of Commerce, AARP, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and the National Association of Evangelicals. “Outdated SSI asset rules hold enormous consequences for disabled Americans and their families ..read more

Contact: Louisa Tavlas Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org WASHINGTON, D.C., November 3, 2023 — The Niskanen Center applauds the continued progress of the bipartisan House Paid Family Leave Working Group. Led by Congresswomen Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), the Working Group recently announced the conclusion of their educational briefing series and an upcoming collaboration on a forthcoming legislative framework for paid family leave. “New parents must be able to count on job security and stable income in the critical weeks after childbirth or adoption,” says Joshua McCabe, Ni ..read more

Contact: Louisa Tavlas Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org Washington, D.C., September 14, 2023 – The Niskanen Center applauds Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) for introducing the Building Integrated Grids With Inter-Regional Energy Supply (BIG WIRES) Act.  The BIG WIRES Act designates a minimum electricity transfer capacity between regions, paving the way for increased efficiency and reliability in power market operations. By requiring regions to unlock increased transfer capability, this legislation expands the grid operator toolbox for preventing po ..read more

Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org WASHINGTON, D.C., July 26, 2023 — The Niskanen Center filed its joint opening brief on behalf of clients in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the Regional Energy Access Project (REAE), along with other environmental groups. The brief asserts that FERC ignored the state of New Jersey’s findings that not only does it not need the additional gas capacity of the proposed project, but the project will actually harm New Jersey consumers. Niskanen represents the le ..read more

Contact: Louisa Tavlas Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org Washington, D.C, June 28, 2023 — Today, more than thirty organizations and experts specializing in healthcare, labor, innovation, and immigration sent a letter to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su encouraging the department to update its Schedule A occupation list to better reflect the conditions facing the current labor markets.  Co-led by the Niskanen Center, the coalition writes, “We urge the Department to utilize its legal authority to pursue a data-driven approach to updating Schedule A Group I to reflect the labor needs of today ..read more

Contact: Louisa Tavlas Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org WASHINGTON, D.C., May 24, 2023 — The Niskanen Center applauds Reps. Maria Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) for introducing the Dignity Act, a new bipartisan effort tackling long-standing issues in our immigration system. The bill addresses: border security and asylum reforms, protections for Dreamers and legalization of the undocumented population, and myriad efforts necessary to jumpstart economic growth in the U.S.  “The Dignity Act is a welcome bipartisan effort that differs from nearly all its failed predecessors’ atte ..read more

Update: On May 15th, a group of Senate Democrats introduced the Border Management, Security, and Assistance Act of 2023, a bill aimed at providing supplemental funding to the Southwest border while revising several policies related to border and asylum processing. The appropriations proposed in the bill total nearly $8 billion, more than double the recommendations we have outlined below. Among other changes to existing policy, the Border Management, Security, and Assistance Act of 2023 eliminates the 150-day waiting period for pending asylum applicant work authorization, permits the issua ..read more