John Schmitt
@jschmittwdc.bsky.social
Economist, Washington DC
Labor, social policy
Formerly: @epi.org, @ceprdc.bsky.social, @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, @cep-lse.bsky.social, UN Peacekeeping
(Very old picture.)
Labor, social policy
Formerly: @epi.org, @ceprdc.bsky.social, @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, @cep-lse.bsky.social, UN Peacekeeping
(Very old picture.)
Reposted by John Schmitt
Sen. Kelly responds: "If Pete Hegseth ... thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it. I will fight this with everything I’ve got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide…
January 5, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Sen. Kelly responds: "If Pete Hegseth ... thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it. I will fight this with everything I’ve got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide…
Reposted by John Schmitt
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
January 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by John Schmitt
For-profit hospitals have problems, but #privateequity is uniquely dangerous: they extract profits fast, then bail when things collapse.
PE expert and CEPR co-director Eileen Appelbaum explains 🎧 on #mostlyeconomics with @deanbaker13.bsky.social : https://youtu.be/UlaQbSANV7U?si=dKNTxEvs-i8iwUMa
PE expert and CEPR co-director Eileen Appelbaum explains 🎧 on #mostlyeconomics with @deanbaker13.bsky.social : https://youtu.be/UlaQbSANV7U?si=dKNTxEvs-i8iwUMa
January 2, 2026 at 9:04 PM
For-profit hospitals have problems, but #privateequity is uniquely dangerous: they extract profits fast, then bail when things collapse.
PE expert and CEPR co-director Eileen Appelbaum explains 🎧 on #mostlyeconomics with @deanbaker13.bsky.social : https://youtu.be/UlaQbSANV7U?si=dKNTxEvs-i8iwUMa
PE expert and CEPR co-director Eileen Appelbaum explains 🎧 on #mostlyeconomics with @deanbaker13.bsky.social : https://youtu.be/UlaQbSANV7U?si=dKNTxEvs-i8iwUMa
Reposted by John Schmitt
In our research on socioeconomic background in academia, we ran a survey. Over 2,000 faculty members responded (thanks if you were one!)
Social & cultural capital showed up time and again as key issues.
A few findings you might be interested in...🧵
Social & cultural capital showed up time and again as key issues.
A few findings you might be interested in...🧵
❓ What do people’s own words reveal about their economic decisions?
A new JEL article by Ingar Haaland, Christopher Roth, Stefanie Stantcheva and Johannes Wohlfart shows how open-ended survey responses offer insights that standard surveys often miss.
🔎Read more here: www.nhh.no/en/research-...
A new JEL article by Ingar Haaland, Christopher Roth, Stefanie Stantcheva and Johannes Wohlfart shows how open-ended survey responses offer insights that standard surveys often miss.
🔎Read more here: www.nhh.no/en/research-...
December 9, 2025 at 4:36 PM
In our research on socioeconomic background in academia, we ran a survey. Over 2,000 faculty members responded (thanks if you were one!)
Social & cultural capital showed up time and again as key issues.
A few findings you might be interested in...🧵
Social & cultural capital showed up time and again as key issues.
A few findings you might be interested in...🧵
Reposted by John Schmitt
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.
Reposted by John Schmitt
Reposted by John Schmitt
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
December 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
Reposted by John Schmitt
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
The USPS faces a tight squeeze. With fewer people using the mail, it’s lost more and more money: $9 billion in the 12 months ending in September alone.
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
Reposted by John Schmitt
December 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Reposted by John Schmitt
New report from the American Statistical Association shows massive staffing cuts across the statistical agencies: 20% decline at BLS (which produces jobs & inflation data). 20% decline at BEA (produces GDP). 35% at EIA (oil/gas/electricity data - as Trump makes wild claims about "energy dominance")
December 20, 2025 at 7:02 PM
New report from the American Statistical Association shows massive staffing cuts across the statistical agencies: 20% decline at BLS (which produces jobs & inflation data). 20% decline at BEA (produces GDP). 35% at EIA (oil/gas/electricity data - as Trump makes wild claims about "energy dominance")
Reposted by John Schmitt
For the record, the law states that "No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary." www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
🚨 "The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials. "
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
EXCLUSIVE: More than a dozen people and government officials' names appear in the hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein files made public Friday, sources said.
www.foxnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
For the record, the law states that "No record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary." www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
Reposted by John Schmitt
🚨 "The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials. "
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
EXCLUSIVE: More than a dozen people and government officials' names appear in the hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein files made public Friday, sources said.
www.foxnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:51 PM
🚨 "The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials. "
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
Reposted by John Schmitt
The November CPI may understate inflation due to the shutdown deanbaker22.substack.com/p/quick-note...
Quick Note on The November CPI Report
The inflation story might have been affected by the shutdown
deanbaker22.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:40 AM
The November CPI may understate inflation due to the shutdown deanbaker22.substack.com/p/quick-note...
Reposted by John Schmitt
December 18, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by John Schmitt
BREAKING: The Florida Supreme Court upheld Florida’s law, making it the only state to allow juries split 8-4 to sentence people to death.
Permitting non-unanimous, divided juries to sentence people to death is unconstitutional and increases the risk of executing an innocent person.
Permitting non-unanimous, divided juries to sentence people to death is unconstitutional and increases the risk of executing an innocent person.
December 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
BREAKING: The Florida Supreme Court upheld Florida’s law, making it the only state to allow juries split 8-4 to sentence people to death.
Permitting non-unanimous, divided juries to sentence people to death is unconstitutional and increases the risk of executing an innocent person.
Permitting non-unanimous, divided juries to sentence people to death is unconstitutional and increases the risk of executing an innocent person.
Zack Beauchamp:
"So why am I writing about it at all? Because the fact that it happened at all tells us something much more important: that the Trump administration is sinking, and his White House has no idea what to do about it."
www.vox.com/politics/472...
"So why am I writing about it at all? Because the fact that it happened at all tells us something much more important: that the Trump administration is sinking, and his White House has no idea what to do about it."
www.vox.com/politics/472...
The revealing pointlessness of Trump’s primetime speech
The president is a desperate man.
www.vox.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Zack Beauchamp:
"So why am I writing about it at all? Because the fact that it happened at all tells us something much more important: that the Trump administration is sinking, and his White House has no idea what to do about it."
www.vox.com/politics/472...
"So why am I writing about it at all? Because the fact that it happened at all tells us something much more important: that the Trump administration is sinking, and his White House has no idea what to do about it."
www.vox.com/politics/472...
Reposted by John Schmitt
Trump: Great healthcare at lower cost is coming. Bookmark this one.
December 18, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Trump: Great healthcare at lower cost is coming. Bookmark this one.
Reposted by John Schmitt
"Smaller raises and rebounding inflation are fueling America’s cost-of-living problems." www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/e...
December 17, 2025 at 12:47 PM
"Smaller raises and rebounding inflation are fueling America’s cost-of-living problems." www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/e...
Reposted by John Schmitt
"Walkin’ in the Parlour" is the final track on on our GRAMMY nominated album: What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow
December 16, 2025 at 5:58 PM
"Walkin’ in the Parlour" is the final track on on our GRAMMY nominated album: What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow
Reposted by John Schmitt
Millions of Americans are going to lose their health insurance over the next decade as ACA subsidies expire. “We can’t afford it and can’t afford not to have it.” From Elizabeth Aguilera and Capital and Main: trib.al/3SJZSHm
They Power the U.S. Economy, but Will Struggle to Afford Health Care - The American Prospect
Health insurance costs will skyrocket for millions of Americans if certain tax credits expire. Small business owners and the self-employed will be hit especially hard.
trib.al
December 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Millions of Americans are going to lose their health insurance over the next decade as ACA subsidies expire. “We can’t afford it and can’t afford not to have it.” From Elizabeth Aguilera and Capital and Main: trib.al/3SJZSHm
Reposted by John Schmitt
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
December 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Reposted by John Schmitt
The US spends 17.2% of GDP on healthcare—nearly 5 points more than Germany at #2. We pay vastly more than every other wealthy democracy.
Yet despite this massive investment, we consistently rank dead last on basic health outcomes. Something's broken.
Yet despite this massive investment, we consistently rank dead last on basic health outcomes. Something's broken.
December 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The US spends 17.2% of GDP on healthcare—nearly 5 points more than Germany at #2. We pay vastly more than every other wealthy democracy.
Yet despite this massive investment, we consistently rank dead last on basic health outcomes. Something's broken.
Yet despite this massive investment, we consistently rank dead last on basic health outcomes. Something's broken.
Reposted by John Schmitt
Downward revisions for August and September plus large losses in October—due to an enormous drop in federal workers at the end of September—has meant a significant slowing in the pace of job growth. The three-month moving average of job growth fell from 232k in January to 62k in November.
#EconSky
#EconSky
December 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Downward revisions for August and September plus large losses in October—due to an enormous drop in federal workers at the end of September—has meant a significant slowing in the pace of job growth. The three-month moving average of job growth fell from 232k in January to 62k in November.
#EconSky
#EconSky
Reposted by John Schmitt
On the payroll side, there were net job losses in three of the last six months. Job growth averaged only 17,000 over the last six months, a significant slowdown.
#EconSky #NumbersDay
#EconSky #NumbersDay
December 16, 2025 at 1:50 PM
On the payroll side, there were net job losses in three of the last six months. Job growth averaged only 17,000 over the last six months, a significant slowdown.
#EconSky #NumbersDay
#EconSky #NumbersDay
Reposted by John Schmitt
Today the BLS releases two months of payroll data and one month of household data. A little jarring to see the first gap in data on the unemployment rate in the history of the survey. Second thing to note is that the unemployment rate is now 4.6% a significant rise from 4.0% in January.
#NumbersDay
#NumbersDay
December 16, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Today the BLS releases two months of payroll data and one month of household data. A little jarring to see the first gap in data on the unemployment rate in the history of the survey. Second thing to note is that the unemployment rate is now 4.6% a significant rise from 4.0% in January.
#NumbersDay
#NumbersDay