Middle Class Marriage is Declining, Coronavirus on the Campaign Trail, and More.

March 13, 2020

Editor’s note: Effective Friday, March 13, the Brookings Institution is taking new steps to limit the spread of the coronavirus/COVID-19. While we will continue to publish work, our campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed to staff and guests through at least April 3 and all public events are canceled or postponed. For more information, read our full guidance here.

Marriage rates among the U.S. middle class have declined significantly over the past 40 years, driven by a host of economic and cultural shifts. Richard Reeves and Christopher Pulliam examine this trend and its implications for inequality.

Nearly all the U.S. presidential candidates are of an age of acute vulnerability for the COVID-19 virus. Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler argues that it is time to look toward digital forms of campaigning and explains how social media companies and the FCC can help.

The Federal Vacancies Reform Act is meant to serve as a check on a president’s ability to utilize gamesmanship to avoid the advice and consent of the Senate for high-level positions. Margaret Taylor argues that President Trump’s appointments of “acting” officials stretches this law.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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