Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security

Joan Entmacher

Joan Entmacher is Vice President for Family Economic Security at the National Women's Law Center, where she leads a team working to improve policies important to the economic security of low-income women and their families, including tax and budget, child care, child support, unemployment insurance, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Social Security. Ms. Entmacher is a leading expert on issues affecting low-income women. She has been invited to testify before Congress on several occasions, written numerous analyses and reports on income support policies and their impact on poor women, and spoken frequently at conferences, briefings, and to the media. Prior to joining the National Women's Law Center, Ms. Entmacher served as Director of Legal and Public Policy at the National Partnership for Women & Families, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College, Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, and attorney in the U.S. Department of Labor Solicitor's Office. Ms. Entmacher is a graduate of Yale Law School and Wellesley College.

Expert in: Tax Credits Outreach, Federal Budget, Family Support Programs, Federal Tax Policy, Family Tax Credits, Data on Poverty & Income, Unemployment, Social Security & Retirement, Tax & Budget
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My Take

Dear Congress: Have a Heart This Valentine's Day

Posted by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security | Posted on: February 14, 2012 at 10:19 am

It's Valentine's Day, and we have an idea about how our Senators could show all Americans how much they care about us!

Millions of hardworking Americans will be cut off of unemployment insurance (UI) unless Congress acts to fully renew the federal UI program that's set to expire at the end of this month. But House Republican leaders are at it again, trying to slash benefits, impose onerous new burdens on unemployed workers, and dismantle the UI system that is a lifeline for so many families.

We need your help! Call your Senators toll-free today at 1-888-245-3381 and ask them to have a heart this Valentine's Day: fully and cleanly renew unemployment insurance for the rest of the year with no cuts and no barriers to benefits!

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Tags: Child Care, Congress, Family Support Programs, House of Representatives, Senate, Unemployment Insurance, Family Tax Credits, Data on Poverty & Income, Unemployment, Poverty & Income Support | Add new comment

Tell Congress: Protect Unemployment Insurance for Millions of Americans

Posted by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security | Posted on: February 06, 2012 at 03:35 pm

They're at it again. I'm sure you remember the feverish news cycle — federal unemployment insurance (UI) benefits were set to expire right before the holidays in December. House Republicans passed a bill that would slash the UI safety net (and more). At the last minute, Congress agreed to continue federal UI benefits for two months. But that extension expires in less than a month. We need your help to prevent millions of unemployed workers from losing the lifeline of UI benefits.

Tell Congress: Fully Renew Unemployment Insurance for 2012 — no cuts, no barriers to benefits!

The House Republican leadership is still pushing to dismantle UI, with drastic benefit cuts and new barriers that would prevent many jobless workers from accessing these vital benefits.

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Tags: Congress, Take Action, Unemployment, Unemployment Insurance, Data on Poverty & Income, Unemployment, Poverty & Income Support | Add new comment

South Carolinians: Act Now! Don't Let South Carolina Cut Benefits for Unemployed Workers

Posted by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security | Posted on: February 06, 2012 at 01:04 pm

It's not easy to be an unemployed worker in South Carolina. Unemployment is sky-high, jobs are scarce, and last year the legislature cut state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits down to just 20 weeks — the lowest level in the country.

But while workers and families struggle in this tough economy, the state Senate will soon vote on two bills that would block access to critical UI benefits for many South Carolinians:

  • S. 1026 would deny benefits to steady part-time workers — mostly women — who lose their jobs and cannot take on full-time employment due to child care responsibilities or other family obligations.
  • S. 1069 would cut benefits for seasonal workers who have lost their jobs by making them ineligible for any benefits during the off-season.

We need your help to stop these bills from moving forward! Click here to look up your state Senator's phone number. Then, call and ask him to vote NO on S. 1026 and S. 1069!

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Tags: South Carolina, Take Action, Unemployment Insurance, Data on Poverty & Income, Unemployment, Poverty & Income Support | Add new comment

Tell Congress: Make Millionaires and Corporations Pay Their Fair Share

Posted by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security | Posted on: January 25, 2012 at 04:52 pm

In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama emphasized a vital point: that unfair, and even counter-productive, tax breaks for corporations and the very wealthy shortchange needed investments for women and their families.

Tell your Members of Congress to make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share, to protect vital programs and to create jobs for the millions of struggling Americans who need them.

Instead of showering tax breaks on the wealthy, the oil and gas industry and on corporations that ship American jobs overseas, Congress needs to:

Protect vital programs: Women and their families depend on federal programs to protect their health, get quality child care, attend college, and meet their basic needs during difficult times and as they age. We need to protect vital programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, child care, Head Start, and Food Stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).

Create jobs: Unemployment remains painfully high, and while job growth has started to pick up, millions of women and men are still struggling to find jobs. We must extend federal emergency unemployment benefits to help people who are hurting now and invest in programs that put women and men back to work.

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Tags: Federal Tax Policy, Tax Reform, Tax & Budget | Add new comment

Tell Your Representative Not to be a Grinch

Posted by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security | Posted on: December 19, 2011 at 02:16 pm

No one likes a Grinch. Especially this time of year.

With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Senate just passed a bill temporarily extending federal unemployment insurance programs that expire on December 31. But now, House Republican leaders are threatening to kill the bill, cutting off this vital support for millions of struggling families.

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Tags: Congress, Take Action, Unemployment Insurance, Data on Poverty & Income, Unemployment, Poverty & Income Support | 1 comment