@vgoodman
Education + workforce policy at the Center for American Progress. Teach econ at Johns Hopkins. Former U.S. Senate staffer. Occasionally moonlighting as a children’s book author. Views my own. https://www.americanprogress.org/people/veronica-good
CTE isn’t just coursework, it’s giving students real skills for their futures. The AFT has a variety of content to help educators implement hands-on programs that connect classroom learning to real world career pathway, check out our resources here 👉 sharemylesson.com/blog/cte-car...
It would be cool to have a legislature that acted to defend its own constitutional prerogatives and, maybe as a treat, the interests of the people it represents too.
An infographic featuring a pink-tinted photo of Donald Trump with a raised fist. The text states, "Since Trump took office, blue-collar industries have seen a cumulative 166,000 jobs lost." It further notes that America’s working-class majority received less than a quarter of job growth in the U.S. over the past year.
President Trump claims to be a “champion for the American worker,” yet the first year of his administration resulted in fewer jobs created, slowing wage growth, and rising costs for working-class Americans.
The rise in cellphone use among kids is harming their learning and mental well-being—and some states are limiting or fully banning cellphone use in schools. 📵
so in conclusion, the state of the union is actually very bad because a man who tried to end democracy is using the government to personally enrich himself and his buddies while executing citizens and noncitizens alike
AI's potential to extend human judgment and enable new tasks is transformative yet underexploited. This paper defines pro-worker AI and discusses how to build it, from Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, and Simon Johnson www.nber.org/papers/w34854
Calling the SAVE Act voter ID is a trick. This bill would force Americans to show a passport or birth certificate in person to an election official.
❌ 146 million Americans don’t have a passport
❌ As many as 69 million women don’t have a birth certificate that matches their married name
OBBBA is a tax giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Analysis here from @chusak.bsky.social:
www.americanprogress.org/article/7-wa...
As Trump talks about the tax cuts for the wealthy that he passed, it seems like a good time to remember that he has personally profited to the tune of $2 billion from his presidency.
Pure corruption, mostly through crypto. #SOTU
www.americanprogress.org/feature/trum...
President Trump just said, “We lifted 2.4 million Americans off of food stamps.”
A reminder of what happened to those 2.4 million Americans:
trump says more people are working today than at any point in history, but again the unemployment rate just keeps ticking up and up and up
Trump spinning the jobs numbers in SOTU. In fact, 2025 was the *worst* year for job creation outside of recent recessions in the past 20 years.
Year 1 of the Trump administration has been terrible for the working class—less jobs, slowing wages, and an affordability crisis.
www.americanprogress.org/article/year...
When jobs come up tonight, don’t forget that working class people are struggling to find opportunities in Trump’s economy. Analysis from @kennedyandara.bsky.social and @saraestep.bsky.social here to put it in context:
www.americanprogress.org/article/work...
#trumpslump
Some things that me and my colleagues at @americanprogress.bsky.social are watching for tonight at the SOTU:
- Exaggerated claims about an economy that added only 181K jobs in 2025, the worst non-recession year in the last 20 years
x.com/byheatherlon... (1/3)
we are close to go time, and the man who tried to end democracy and whose admin is executing citizens and noncitizens alike is set to talk for perhaps two or more hours.
i have prepped many, many graphs that feel pointless because what does lying about the budget matter when he's executing people?
Watching the #SOTU tonight? Check out this starter pack of CAP experts to follow along:
The Trump administration is unlawfully using interagency agreements to continue its piecemeal dismantling of the Department of Education.
Read new @americanprogress.bsky.social analysis here: www.americanprogress.org/article/movi...
CAP's new report outlines 21 ways state and local policymakers can improve the lives of working people and help achieve a number of goals, including banning practices that undermine worker power. https://ampr.gs/4pxJyXj
The Trump administration has taken another illegal step in its attempt to abolish the U.S. Department of Education by transferring several key offices to other agencies. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/moving-federal-education-programs-will-create-more-bureaucracy-not-less/
The Trump administration's move to unlawfully dismantle the Dept. of Education by moving critical programs to other agencies will cause headaches for students, families, schools, and colleges.
Read the new CAP analysis on this below ⬇️
www.americanprogress.org/article/movi...
Don’t miss my new piece for @americanprogress.bsky.social on how the Trump admin’s use of interagency agreements is illegal and meant to further dismantle the Department of Education, creating more bureaucracy, not less, and harming schools and students 👇🏼
www.americanprogress.org/article/movi...
Head Start is a key mental health support for the nation’s most vulnerable families—protecting the program is critical to combating the mental health crisis and protecting children. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/head-start-is-a-model-for-supporting-child-and-family-mental-health/
A black and white photograph of two young boys, one wearing glasses, sitting and listening attentively in a classroom setting. A yellow banner across the top reads "IDEA AT 50". Text is overlaid on the bottom half of the image: "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) turns 50 this year. The law ensured disabled kids would have access to public schools and promised funding for schools to make it possible." The source is cited at the bottom.
A photo of a young boy wearing glasses, giving a high-five to an unseen adult hand. The title banner reads "IDEA AT 50". Text is overlaid on the bottom half of the image: "IDEA serves children as young as infancy and toddlerhood through its Part C early intervention services. But administrative and funding barriers mean only about half who qualify are enrolled." The source is cited at the bottom.
A graphic illustrating a classroom setup with several gray desks and chairs, and a few yellow desks and chairs highlighted in the middle. The title banner reads "IDEA AT 50". Text is overlaid on the bottom half of the image: "During the 2022–23 school year, 7.6 million students between the ages of 3 and 21 received special education services through IDEA. That’s three out of every 20 public school students." The source is cited at the bottom.
A photo of a young girl in a pink shirt sitting in a wheelchair and looking directly at the camera, leaning on a table in a classroom. The title banner reads "IDEA AT 50". Text is overlaid on the bottom half of the image: "Vouchers = fewer protections for children The use of vouchers harms students with disabilities by resulting in the forfeiture of nearly all federal protections and the loss of guaranteed special education services." The source is cited at the bottom.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of IDEA—a landmark law that ensured millions of disabled students would receive quality education. Yet, that promised education is at risk today with a federal funding gap of over $38 billion.
Unless Congress acts, millions of people—especially low-income Americans, young adults, and the self-employed—will be confronted next week with a harsh new reality of higher premiums and fewer affordable options. https://ampr.gs/4o54d4h
Trump and his family have pocketed more than $1.8 BILLION since his reelection. @neeratanden.bsky.social lays out the receipts—and you can see them all at https://www.americanprogress.org/feature/trumps-take/
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1N1kt
In the last 70 years, federal jobs fell from 4.5% of all employment to below 2%.
Civil servants aren't what's driving government debt, and firing them won't address it.
NEW: The "compact" the Trump administration proposed to 9 universities earlier this month is a dangerous trap -- not only would the deal cede significant control over colleges, but it would open them and their leaders up to great legal risk.
www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...
Wow, memories!
Happy new season of Slow Horses to all!
