TAXSIM has powered tax policy research for decades — excited to partner with NBER to build its open-source successor at PolicyEngine.
02.03.2026 16:51
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TAXSIM has powered tax policy research for decades — excited to partner with NBER to build its open-source successor at PolicyEngine.
We're all in on Claude, today more than ever.
Bad Bunny named every country in the Americas at the Super Bowl last night. Here's the data behind the gesture:
- 53% of US immigrants come from the Americas
- 93% of ICE arrests target them
- 45M people speak Spanish at home
My latest: maxghenis.com/blog/bad-bunny-immigration-enforcement/
I built OpenMessage — an open-source Google Messages client for Mac with a built-in MCP server.
AI assistants can read, search, and send your texts. Local-first, no cloud.
Same libs that power Beeper — but open source and AI-native. Apache 2.0.
openmessage.ai
My 16GB MacBook Air couldn't handle all my multiclauding. Upgraded to 48GB—crashes stopped, but no visibility into which session ate RAM.
I built RAMBar—my first macOS app—to fix this. Memory by Claude session, Chrome tab, VS Code.
brew install maxghenis/tap/rambar
Install by searching the VS Code Marketplace or going here: marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...
More at the project page: maxghenis.com/terminalgrid
And on my blog: maxghenis.com/blog/termina...
Running multiple Claude Code sessions? VS Code's terminal panel only splits in one direction—no 2D grids.
I built TerminalGrid, my first VS Code extension, to fix this. Cmd+K Cmd+Right, Cmd+K Cmd+Down—true grid layouts.
44 seconds to see it in action:
Between per-provision selection, animated yearly trends, constituency maps, and real-time personalized *full-lifecycle* effects, this is our most comprehensive policy analysis tool yet.
See the impact of the UK's most substantial budget in years: www.policyengine.org/uk/autumn-bu...
original newsletter
redesigned newsletter
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-code
/plugin install frontend-design@claude-code-plugins
"use the frontend-design plugin to redesign our newsletter while sticking to the policyengine design principles"
Read this post from @daphnehansell.bsky.social and me on the Effective Altruism Forum for more: forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/AQvSij...
We built GiveCalc because most donation calculators just multiply by your tax bracket. That misses a lot: standard vs. itemized thresholds, state taxes, future-dated policy, new HR1 provisions.
PolicyEngine's tax models handle the full complexity. GiveCalc makes them accessible.
Important read on fiscal transparency.
While CBO is taking commendable steps by expanding its GitHub presence, Rauh & Jaros are right: full replicability should be the standard for them and JCT.
Open source builds trust and accuracy. www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
Rep Tlaib's press release cites David's PolicyEngine-powered analysis: tlaib.house.gov/posts/tlaib-...
Great to see Rep Tlaib's team use PolicyEngine to design her new policy reform.
I had a blast making this with Claude Code - both the animation and the spooky soundtrack, which it composed in Python.
github.com/policyengine...
Our AI journey continues - excited to share our Claude Code plugin soon!
Thanks for this data point. Is there an extract on Californians you can point to? I didn't see state there.
Additional people have some chance of being in the phase-in range on 2026-12-31 (including some currently outside California) who may plan accordingly over the coming 14 months.
California's wealth tax proposal isn't marginal: At $2B wealth, you'll pay 5% on the full $2B ($100M).
To avoid a cliff, they phase in the 5% over $1B to $1.1B wealth. You pay $0 at $1B and 5% at $1.1B. That's $55M, or a 55% tax on tha $100M marginal wealth.
Something about being in California brings out the ballot measure analyst in me!
I have some free time Thursday and Friday afternoons - shoot me a message if you'd like to connect in LA. And you can RSVP to the event here:
forms.zohopublic.com/imaginela1/f...
Heading to LA this week for Benefit Navigator's event.
Their platform helps families and case managers navigate public benefits and tax credits - powered by the @us.policyengine.org API for tax and benefit calculations. Excited to see tech and policy come together to expand access.
Tomorrow evening I'll be celebrating the 13th anniversary of the @opengovhub.bsky.social, @us.policyengine.org's new home in DC. I'll also give a short talk on our work to promote open governance and transparency, the mission of the space and our neighbor organizations. Tickets still available!
ChatGPT estimates the anti-Israel boycott against Shouk increased their risk of closure by 40% this year.
Links:
instagram.com/p/DHWA8BWJHl6
washingtonsocialist.mdcdsa.org/ws-articles/...
instagram.com/p/DPUllyAjkxb
chatgpt.com/share/68e223...
Disappointed that the plant-based Shouk, my favorite fast-casual place in DC, has closed. Anti-Israel groups targeted it because an Israeli immigrant owned it, and are now cheering their victory.
Agentic AI coding tools continue to inspire us to turn everything into software.
Join us at our new home in downtown DC, the @opengovhub.bsky.social, for a celebratory happy hour on Oct 22: luma.com/lnrzph2h
Alaska's Fairbanks region has the highest second-lowest-cost silver plan (a key PTC ingredient) for older residents.
As a result, a married couple, each 64 years old earning $83k, would gain $57,292 in 2026 if the enhanced subsidies are extended. They'd get some PTC with up to $756k income.
Our new ACA calculator shows how extending the enhanced premium tax credits would affect households.
An extreme case: A 64-year-old in Fairbanks, AK would gain $655 in 2026 if they earn $61k, but gain $26,861 if they earn $62k.
Try it here: policyengine.org/us/aca-calc
Come by tonight if you're in London!
