The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been fighting effectively against the old saying, “the poor pay more.” So the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision against a suit brought by the payday loan trade association is really a cause for celebration. CFPB has reined in many fees and overcharges that disproportionately hit people with low incomes, saving consumers billions of dollars.

As incidents of child exploitation in the workforce skyrocket, the U.S. Department of Labor this month announced yet another large fine – this time, against a cleaning company that illegally supplied at least two dozen children to work overnight in slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities in Iowa and Virginia. Fayette Janitorial Service LLC has agreed to pay $649,000 after DOL investigators found it sent workers as young as 13 into plants to scrub razor-edged machinery with high-powered hoses, scalding water, and dangerous chemicals.

When it comes to juggling work and family, moms are truly doing it all. Seventy-four percent of mothers were in the labor force in 2023 even as they took on a majority of families’ unpaid caregiving responsibilities. They’re major breadwinners too – nationally, 79 percent of Black mothers, 48 percent of white mothers, 43 percent of Asian and Pacific Island mothers, 49 percent of Latina mothers and 64 percent of Native American mothers lead their household’s earnings.

I run a food pantry. I’m proud of the work we do. But if lawmakers passed a liveable minimum wage or invested more in programs like SNAP, people wouldn’t need to rely on pantries like mine. Pantries are a critical piece of the anti-hunger puzzle, but they’re filler pieces. Government nutrition programs — with the infrastructure and funding to get the job done — should be the centerpiece.