Inform. Advocate. Transform.

The Economic Progress Institute (EPI) advocates for equitable policies that improve economic opportunities for all Rhode Islanders every year. But this year is not business as usual; the passage of the federal House Resolution 1 (H.R.1, also known as OBBBA) on July 4, 2025, made unprecedented cuts to Medicaid and SNAP funding to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans. As a result, an estimated 53,000 Rhode Islanders will lose health insurance, and 14,000 are at risk of losing SNAP benefits. Tens of thousands more will see their healthcare costs increase. EPI’s legislative priorities acknowledge that H.R.1 has created conditions for statewide crises and reflect EPI’s commitment to meet this moment by advocating to protect Rhode Island’s most vulnerable populations, communities, and industries from deep and lasting harm. 

Many Rhode Islanders’ wages are too low to meet basic living costs such as housing, food, healthcare, and child care. For 25 years, EPI has documented how hard it is for many people to make ends meet in our organization’s signature research report, titled the Rhode Island Standard of Need. The 25th anniversary edition of this report delves into topics like economic security (or insecurity, as the case may be), household earnings, work support programs, and many others. For the first time, the Rhode Island Standard of Need report also explores the genuine geographical differences in the cost of a “basic needs” budget county by county. Through it and other research, EPI aims to give policymakers and the public objective information with which to pursue and achieve a shared prosperity.