Matt Bruenig, People's Policy Project Journalist Profile

Articles

The Bad Argument Against Zohran Mamdani’s Free Bus Proposal

1 week ago | jacobin.com | Matt Bruenig

In his campaign for the mayorship of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has proposed replacing fares for the city’s buses with taxes. The reaction to this proposal has been really bizarre and mostly based on a mistaken understanding of how to think about government revenue.
Nordic Socialism

1 week ago | uwpress.wisc.edu | Pelle Dragsted |William Banks |Matt Bruenig

The Path Toward a Democratic Economy By Pelle DragstedTranslated by William BanksForeword by Matt Bruenig Subjects: Biography & Autobiography, Biography & Autobiography, Political Science, History Show Details Ebook (EPUB) : 9780299353681, 256 pages, 0 illus., August 2025 Hardcover : 9780299353605, 252 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 0 illus., August 2025 Foreword by Matt BruenigPrefaceIntroduction1.
06/12/2025: ALJ Declines to Issue Cemex Bargaining Order Despite Hallmark Violations

2 weeks ago | nlrbedge.com | Matt Bruenig

This case involves allegations that YAPP USA Automotive Systems, Inc. violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) at its Romulus, Michigan facility during a union organizing campaign by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) in 2023. The case originated when employee Jesse Dowling contacted a UAW organizer in April 2023. Between April and August 2023, the Union collected 114 authorization cards from approximately 150 eligible employees.
Abundance Has a Theory of Power

2 weeks ago | peoplespolicyproject.org | Matt Bruenig

In the New York Times, Ezra Klein responded to critics who accuse him of not having a theory of power:My view of power is more classically liberal. In his book “Liberalism: The Life of an Idea,” Edmund Fawcett describes it neatly: “Human power was implacable. It could never be relied on to behave well.
No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Workless Medicaid Recipients

1 month ago | portside.org | Matt Bruenig

No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Workless Medicaid Recipients Published May 20, 2025 The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece from Robert F. Kennedy Jr and three other Trump administration officials in which they argue in favor of adding work requirements to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans.
No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Workless Medicaid Recipients

1 month ago | rsn.org | Matt Bruenig

Trump administration officials including RFK Jr want to add work requirements to Medicaid, arguing that there is a major scourge of able-bodied recipients refusing to get jobs. Their case dramatically overstates how many people in this group are not working. The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece from Robert F.
No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Workless Medicaid Recipients

1 month ago | jacobin.com | Matt Bruenig

The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece from Robert F. Kennedy Jr and three other Trump administration officials in which they argue in favor of adding work requirements to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans.
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Cruel and Pointless

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Matt Bruenig

House Republicans have proposed adding work requirements to Medicaid, the health insurance program serving tens of millions of low-income Americans. Their plan, unveiled Sunday, would, with a few exceptions, strip coverage from childless adults who cannot document at least 80 hours of monthly employment. Many Americans are intrigued by the idea of conditioning benefits on work.
05/13/2025: 10th Circuit Mostly Affirms Hallmark Christmas Movie Violations

1 month ago | nlrbedge.com | Matt Bruenig

This case involves a petition for review by two film production companies (3484, Inc. and 3486, Inc., collectively "the Employers") challenging a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision finding they committed unfair labor practices in violation of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRB cross-applied for enforcement of its order.
The “Success Sequence” Argument Makes No Sense

1 month ago | jacobin.com | Matt Bruenig

At Vox, Rachel Cohen has a piece about a new trend sweeping through conservative state houses to mandate the teaching of the “success sequence” in public schools. I’m quoted in the piece:Matt Bruenig of the left-wing People’s Policy Project think tank has been pointing out methodological problems with the sequence for the last decade. At its heart, he argues, the formulation is about deflecting attention from how policy choices produce poverty.