The news cycle at the end of last week highlighted the persistent “rising tide” of inequality cast over the U.S. economy.  Persistent reporting of the facts about the widening gap between the very wealthy and the rest of society leads to statements more commonly used to describe sea level rise and climate change: The forces of income inequality are becoming stronger with more intense and extreme consequences. As I argue in an op-ed at The Hill, it appears that there are no solutions forthcoming at the federal level – in fact, federal policy coming from Washington is likely to make things worse. Instead, as often is the case with innovative climate policy action, we need to look to states and local communities for promising solutions to rising inequality in the coming years.

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Click the left edge of the audio bar above or click here to listen to my interview on Wednesday, August 16th with Herb Weisbaum of KOMO Radio in Seattle about President Trump’s recent press conference comments about race relations, the economy, and poverty.

The national poverty report produced by the Census Bureau in September showed the poverty rate to have fallen from 14.8% to 13.5% between 2014 and 2015. This was much welcomed news after more than a decade of very little improved economic opportunity for those at the lower end of the wage and income distribution.

While most attention at the time was paid to the drop in the poverty rate, the report’s appendices indicate the number of poor persons in the U.S. fell by more than 3.5 million from 2014 to 2015. Recent progress on poverty should bolster support for the safety net and encourage us to do more.

Safia Samee Ali’s recent piece for NBC News captures the challenges confronting low-income residents of cities today. Factors, such as gentrification and rising rents, push families out of their homes and neighborhoods in cities. At the same time many of the suburban destinations awaiting  families leaving the city do not necessarily foster access to greater opportunity.

My 2009 book, “Out of Reach,” examined why it can be hard for poor families to get help from the safety net. One critical barrier is the lack of information about local program resources and nonprofit social service organizations. Good information is key to finding help, but it’s also important if we are to target resources effectively and assess if program investments were successful.