Samarth Gupta
@samarthgupta.bsky.social
Formerly at the Treasury Department, OMB, and Biden campaign/transition.
Policy and political writing @ wickedgoodpolicy.com
Policy and political writing @ wickedgoodpolicy.com
Pinned
Americana’s Price of Admission
Needs vs. wants, the middle class, and what the affordability debate is missing
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
A trip to Disney or a family outing to Fenway used to be a little splurge but manageable. Something you could do each year.
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Reposted by Samarth Gupta
'If the Supreme Court, on the other hand, permits the President to issue tariffs under IEEPA, it will shape the future of US international economic policy in both predictable and unpredictable ways' writes Samarth Gupta.
The US Supreme Court's Tariff Trolley Problem
The US Supreme Court must soon decide on the future of American international economic policy and the power of the American presidency.
www.rusi.org
September 24, 2025 at 1:57 PM
'If the Supreme Court, on the other hand, permits the President to issue tariffs under IEEPA, it will shape the future of US international economic policy in both predictable and unpredictable ways' writes Samarth Gupta.
A trip to Disney or a family outing to Fenway used to be a little splurge but manageable. Something you could do each year.
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Americana’s Price of Admission
Needs vs. wants, the middle class, and what the affordability debate is missing
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A trip to Disney or a family outing to Fenway used to be a little splurge but manageable. Something you could do each year.
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Today, the experiences and events that define Americana are displacing the middle class, instead catering to the wealthy.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/americanas...
Trump has promised to impose "secondary tariffs" next week on Russian energy sales to force Putin's hand.
He's right to try to change Putin’s calculus, but is approach is misguided.
Let's unpack why.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
He's right to try to change Putin’s calculus, but is approach is misguided.
Let's unpack why.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
There’s a better approach for Trump to change Putin’s calculus
He’s right to recognize that pressuring the Kremlin’s main cash cow is a way to grab Putin’s attention, but his approach is counterproductive and incomplete.
thehill.com
August 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Trump has promised to impose "secondary tariffs" next week on Russian energy sales to force Putin's hand.
He's right to try to change Putin’s calculus, but is approach is misguided.
Let's unpack why.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
He's right to try to change Putin’s calculus, but is approach is misguided.
Let's unpack why.
thehill.com/opinion/inte...
A lot to like:
▫️Sec. 208 - NEPA reforms
▫️Sec. 209 - Innovation Fund for localities to boost supply
▫️Sec. 301 - Modular and prefab units
▫️Sec. 405 - Voucher reform to streamline unit inspections
There's plenty of bipartisan things to move the ball forward.
www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/min...
▫️Sec. 208 - NEPA reforms
▫️Sec. 209 - Innovation Fund for localities to boost supply
▫️Sec. 301 - Modular and prefab units
▫️Sec. 405 - Voucher reform to streamline unit inspections
There's plenty of bipartisan things to move the ball forward.
www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/min...
Scott, Warren Announce Markup of Landmark Bipartisan Housing Legislation from Banking Committee Members | United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The Official website of The United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
www.banking.senate.gov
July 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
A lot to like:
▫️Sec. 208 - NEPA reforms
▫️Sec. 209 - Innovation Fund for localities to boost supply
▫️Sec. 301 - Modular and prefab units
▫️Sec. 405 - Voucher reform to streamline unit inspections
There's plenty of bipartisan things to move the ball forward.
www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/min...
▫️Sec. 208 - NEPA reforms
▫️Sec. 209 - Innovation Fund for localities to boost supply
▫️Sec. 301 - Modular and prefab units
▫️Sec. 405 - Voucher reform to streamline unit inspections
There's plenty of bipartisan things to move the ball forward.
www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/min...
The @evictionlab.bsky.social and @zoningatlas.bsky.social are both indispensable public goods.
In every American town and city, there's now no denying the scale of the housing crisis and a root cause of it.
▪️https://www.zoningatlas.org/
▪️https://evictionlab.org/
In every American town and city, there's now no denying the scale of the housing crisis and a root cause of it.
▪️https://www.zoningatlas.org/
▪️https://evictionlab.org/
July 22, 2025 at 8:47 PM
The @evictionlab.bsky.social and @zoningatlas.bsky.social are both indispensable public goods.
In every American town and city, there's now no denying the scale of the housing crisis and a root cause of it.
▪️https://www.zoningatlas.org/
▪️https://evictionlab.org/
In every American town and city, there's now no denying the scale of the housing crisis and a root cause of it.
▪️https://www.zoningatlas.org/
▪️https://evictionlab.org/
With additional resources, the IRS had:
- lowered call wait times from 28 to 3 minutes
- Improved its level of service from 15% to 88%
- Provided 11,000 more hours of in-person support
- Launched Direct File
- Doubled audit rates on the wealthy and cracked down on e.g., corporate jet loopholes
- lowered call wait times from 28 to 3 minutes
- Improved its level of service from 15% to 88%
- Provided 11,000 more hours of in-person support
- Launched Direct File
- Doubled audit rates on the wealthy and cracked down on e.g., corporate jet loopholes
IG update: As of May, IRS workforce was down 25% from this year's 103,000 starting point.
Pretty even spread over job types, including a 26% decline in revenue agents (auditors).
Here are all the details:
www.tigta.gov/sites/defaul...
Pretty even spread over job types, including a 26% decline in revenue agents (auditors).
Here are all the details:
www.tigta.gov/sites/defaul...
www.tigta.gov
July 22, 2025 at 2:23 PM
With additional resources, the IRS had:
- lowered call wait times from 28 to 3 minutes
- Improved its level of service from 15% to 88%
- Provided 11,000 more hours of in-person support
- Launched Direct File
- Doubled audit rates on the wealthy and cracked down on e.g., corporate jet loopholes
- lowered call wait times from 28 to 3 minutes
- Improved its level of service from 15% to 88%
- Provided 11,000 more hours of in-person support
- Launched Direct File
- Doubled audit rates on the wealthy and cracked down on e.g., corporate jet loopholes
The abundance agenda is absolutely necessary to solve our country's housing crisis, but it's not enough.
We'll likely only have one shot at meaningful federal housing legislation and we have to make sure it meets the full breadth and depth of the problem.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/abundance-...
We'll likely only have one shot at meaningful federal housing legislation and we have to make sure it meets the full breadth and depth of the problem.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/abundance-...
Abundance Is Necessary But Not Sufficient
Housing supply, affordability, and stability
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
July 18, 2025 at 4:27 PM
The abundance agenda is absolutely necessary to solve our country's housing crisis, but it's not enough.
We'll likely only have one shot at meaningful federal housing legislation and we have to make sure it meets the full breadth and depth of the problem.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/abundance-...
We'll likely only have one shot at meaningful federal housing legislation and we have to make sure it meets the full breadth and depth of the problem.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/abundance-...
We've not only created a system where millions of families are trapped in homelessness, but we've also enabled their pain to become a big pay day for extractive businesses.
A must read from @brian-goldstone.bsky.social:
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
A must read from @brian-goldstone.bsky.social:
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in Ameri…
Through the unforgettable stories of five Atlanta famil…
www.goodreads.com
July 9, 2025 at 6:28 PM
We've not only created a system where millions of families are trapped in homelessness, but we've also enabled their pain to become a big pay day for extractive businesses.
A must read from @brian-goldstone.bsky.social:
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
A must read from @brian-goldstone.bsky.social:
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21...
Federal financing can mimic Medicaid expansion to direct more money toward high-poverty school districts.
That money, in turn, could be used to get better teachers and mimic the Mississippi Miracle.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/we-get-the...
That money, in turn, could be used to get better teachers and mimic the Mississippi Miracle.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/we-get-the...
We Get the Schools We Pay For
Three ways to boost quality and equality in America’s K-12 schools
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
July 2, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Federal financing can mimic Medicaid expansion to direct more money toward high-poverty school districts.
That money, in turn, could be used to get better teachers and mimic the Mississippi Miracle.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/we-get-the...
That money, in turn, could be used to get better teachers and mimic the Mississippi Miracle.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/we-get-the...
Evan Bonsall, former elected official in Marquette, Michigan and current high school social studies teacher, on what Dems have gotten wrong on education and where we can go from here...
Check out Wicked Good Policy's first guest post 🔽
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/5-hard-tru...
Check out Wicked Good Policy's first guest post 🔽
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/5-hard-tru...
5 Hard Truths Democrats Must Face on Education
What is the state of America’s K-12 schools, and where we go from here?
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Evan Bonsall, former elected official in Marquette, Michigan and current high school social studies teacher, on what Dems have gotten wrong on education and where we can go from here...
Check out Wicked Good Policy's first guest post 🔽
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/5-hard-tru...
Check out Wicked Good Policy's first guest post 🔽
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/5-hard-tru...
Reposted by Samarth Gupta
When Tim Walz became Kamala Harris's running mate, progressives highlighted policies passed. It could not have been possible without Melissa Hortman.
-Free school breakfast and lunch
-Restoring voting rights for felons
-Paid leave
Great piece by @gracepanetta.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/06/rep-...
-Free school breakfast and lunch
-Restoring voting rights for felons
-Paid leave
Great piece by @gracepanetta.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/06/rep-...
Rep. Melissa Hortman, killed in targeted attack, was a champion for Minnesotan families
Hortman worked closely with Gov. Tim Walz to enact policies that prioritized children and expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care
19thnews.org
June 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
When Tim Walz became Kamala Harris's running mate, progressives highlighted policies passed. It could not have been possible without Melissa Hortman.
-Free school breakfast and lunch
-Restoring voting rights for felons
-Paid leave
Great piece by @gracepanetta.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/06/rep-...
-Free school breakfast and lunch
-Restoring voting rights for felons
-Paid leave
Great piece by @gracepanetta.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/06/rep-...
Contrary to what it feels like on a social media news feed, the political power of celebrity endorsements in presidential elections is largely gone. Celebrity influence can still be decisive in politics, but it needs be local and issue-based.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/trumps-rig...
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/trumps-rig...
Trump’s Right to Fear Celebrity Endorsements
Just not how they’re done today
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
June 1, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Contrary to what it feels like on a social media news feed, the political power of celebrity endorsements in presidential elections is largely gone. Celebrity influence can still be decisive in politics, but it needs be local and issue-based.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/trumps-rig...
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/trumps-rig...
We can limit gun violence by subsidizing manufacturers and tech companies to build safer technology. We can pay for it by taxing the sales of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
The best part? It'd only take 50 votes in the Senate.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/technology...
The best part? It'd only take 50 votes in the Senate.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/technology...
Technology & Tax Policy Can Curb Gun Violence
An idea to move smart-gun technology forward
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com
May 18, 2025 at 11:53 AM
We can limit gun violence by subsidizing manufacturers and tech companies to build safer technology. We can pay for it by taxing the sales of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
The best part? It'd only take 50 votes in the Senate.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/technology...
The best part? It'd only take 50 votes in the Senate.
www.wickedgoodpolicy.com/p/technology...
VP Vance: "If the IRS can go after you because of what you think or what you believe or what you do, we’d no longer live in a free country.”
The New Al Capone
The IRS took down mobsters, now Trump wants it to serve as his.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
May 3, 2025 at 3:24 PM
VP Vance: "If the IRS can go after you because of what you think or what you believe or what you do, we’d no longer live in a free country.”
There’s still an off ramp from the road Trump is driving down. He'll take it if CEOs demand it. Once the economy regains stable footing, we can return to our regularly scheduled programming on regulation, spending, and taxes.
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance: substack.com/@sg81/p-1616...
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance: substack.com/@sg81/p-1616...
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance
In just 100 days, we're seeing the risk of irreversible damage to the U.S. economy
substack.com
April 30, 2025 at 1:13 PM
There’s still an off ramp from the road Trump is driving down. He'll take it if CEOs demand it. Once the economy regains stable footing, we can return to our regularly scheduled programming on regulation, spending, and taxes.
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance: substack.com/@sg81/p-1616...
It's Time for the Corporate Resistance: substack.com/@sg81/p-1616...
SNAP, Medicaid, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit are lifelines to those most in need. But millions of Americans who qualify for these benefits don't receive them.
Here's an idea to fix that:
Here's an idea to fix that:
We Need a Department of Benefits
Not enough people receive benefits they qualify for
substack.com
April 26, 2025 at 6:27 PM
SNAP, Medicaid, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit are lifelines to those most in need. But millions of Americans who qualify for these benefits don't receive them.
Here's an idea to fix that:
Here's an idea to fix that:
If you don’t mow your lawn, the grass doesn’t stop growing. But, Republicans are pretending that's not the case—that the debt won't rise with another round of tax cuts. They'll look away and leave future generations to clean up the mess.
In @salonnewsroom.bsky.social:
www.salon.com/2025/04/07/s...
In @salonnewsroom.bsky.social:
www.salon.com/2025/04/07/s...
GOP's magic math undermines Trump's tax plan
Republicans are wishing away the debt to give tax cuts to the wealthy
www.salon.com
April 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
If you don’t mow your lawn, the grass doesn’t stop growing. But, Republicans are pretending that's not the case—that the debt won't rise with another round of tax cuts. They'll look away and leave future generations to clean up the mess.
In @salonnewsroom.bsky.social:
www.salon.com/2025/04/07/s...
In @salonnewsroom.bsky.social:
www.salon.com/2025/04/07/s...
Trump claims he won't cut a penny from Social Security, but it's just a trick we shouldn't fall for.
April 6, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Trump claims he won't cut a penny from Social Security, but it's just a trick we shouldn't fall for.
In which, I talk about teenagers stealing their parents' booze, Benoit Blanc, and how the President's tax proposal will gut Social Security:
www.salon.com/2025/04/02/t...
www.salon.com/2025/04/02/t...
Trump’s Social Security sleight of hand: MAGA’s magic trick will make your benefits disappear
The president’s promise to make Social Security great again is a charade
www.salon.com
April 2, 2025 at 10:05 AM
In which, I talk about teenagers stealing their parents' booze, Benoit Blanc, and how the President's tax proposal will gut Social Security:
www.salon.com/2025/04/02/t...
www.salon.com/2025/04/02/t...
To use Suzanne Mettler's term, we have a "submerged state." Americans don’t hear about the the policies they benefit from, but they do hear a lot about things like “Obama Phones” and their tax dollars going to Ukraine.
Democrats need to find a way to change that.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Democrats need to find a way to change that.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
March 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
To use Suzanne Mettler's term, we have a "submerged state." Americans don’t hear about the the policies they benefit from, but they do hear a lot about things like “Obama Phones” and their tax dollars going to Ukraine.
Democrats need to find a way to change that.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Democrats need to find a way to change that.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Today in Wicked Good Policy, some thoughts on how and why to talk about the granular way DOGE cuts are hurting the very Americans that Trump claims to prioritize
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/grounding-...
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/grounding-...
Grounding Trump's Attacks on Agencies
An op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order targeting the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
March 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Today in Wicked Good Policy, some thoughts on how and why to talk about the granular way DOGE cuts are hurting the very Americans that Trump claims to prioritize
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/grounding-...
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/grounding-...
Gutting the CDFI Fund will hurt the very communities President Trump claims to prioritize.
www.newsweek.com/trumps-lates...
www.newsweek.com/trumps-lates...
Trump's Latest Executive Order Puts Rural Community Banks at Risk | Opinion
Community banks are vital to helping rural America solve economic challenges—from financing affordable housing to small business and agricultural loans.
www.newsweek.com
March 19, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Gutting the CDFI Fund will hurt the very communities President Trump claims to prioritize.
www.newsweek.com/trumps-lates...
www.newsweek.com/trumps-lates...
My first post in "Wicked Good Policy," a homage to home and a place to share thoughts on economic policy and politics.
Subscribe for more! The next post will be an op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order and the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Subscribe for more! The next post will be an op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order and the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Democrats' Housing Policy is Failing the Working Class
They must be unafraid of attacking restrictive zoning and building more public housing.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com
March 18, 2025 at 9:27 PM
My first post in "Wicked Good Policy," a homage to home and a place to share thoughts on economic policy and politics.
Subscribe for more! The next post will be an op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order and the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Subscribe for more! The next post will be an op-ed on Trump's recent Executive Order and the CDFI Fund.
wickedgoodpolicy.substack.com/p/democrats-...