Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Center for Economic and Policy Research (Opinion)

U.S. progressive / left-of-center

Owned byIndependent nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C. It has no owner. It is run by co-directors Eileen Appelbaum and Mark Weisbrot, and a board oversees it.
FundingFoundation grants, individual donations, and some institutional and union support. Funders include the Ford Foundation, Open Society Policy Center, Hewlett Foundation, Omidyar Network, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Russell Sage Foundation, Sloan Foundation, Tides Foundation and the National Education Association. It carries no advertising or paywall.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Economists Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot founded CEPR in 1999 with a first-year budget of under $120,000. It describes itself as independent and nonpartisan, but it is generally classed as progressive because of its economic positions and its funders. Baker has been known for early warnings about the U.S. housing bubble and for writing against what he calls 'patent and copyright monopolies,' among other topics. The organization publishes research reports, data analysis and short commentary, including Baker's frequent blog-style pieces. Its opinion material is widely republished by outlets such as Eurasia Review and appears in mainstream media. Its Latin America work, led by Weisbrot, has drawn criticism from conservative writers. They say it was too sympathetic to Hugo Chávez's Venezuela and downplayed the role of the government's own policies in the country's economic crisis. CEPR says U.S. sanctions caused serious harm to Venezuela's economy. In 2026 its commentary has argued that Trump's tariffs are taxes paid by Americans rather than foreign exporters, have not reduced the trade deficit, and are contributing to higher inflation. It has also criticized U.S. military actions in the hemisphere. Baker has said targeted industrial tariffs, such as on solar panels or EVs, can be more justified than blanket tariffs.

Sources

  1. Center for Economic and Policy Research (Wikipedia)
  2. CEPR About
  3. CEPR Funders
  4. Center for Economic and Policy Research (Influence Watch)
  5. CEPR Celebrates 20 Years
  6. We're Paying Trump's Tariffs, Not Foreigners (CEPR)
  7. Import Prices Show Trump Tariffs Are Raising Costs (CEPR)
  8. Venezuela, US Power, and the Latin American Left (CEPR)

Profile compiled 2026-11-03; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record