This week on Lady Party, we’re getting into the not-so-sexy (but super important) world of tariffs, taxes, and economic policy with Professor Kimberly Clausing. She’s the Chair of UCLA’s Tax Policy program at the School of Law, and she also spent time in the Biden administration.

Translation: she knows her stuff.

Now, before you roll your eyes and think “ugh, econ talk,” stay with us. Because what Kimberly breaks down is exactly why your Starbucks is pricier, why your Amazon cart costs more than you thought, and why small businesses in your neighborhood are feeling the squeeze.

We cover:

• What tariffs really are (spoiler: they’re just taxes on imports).

• Why politicians love them, even though moms hate them.

• How tariffs hit everyday families harder than corporations.

• Why innovation and immigration are actually the keys to long-term growth.

• What the Fed’s role is in inflation (aka why eggs cost $7 for a minute there).

• Why “trickle-down” economics is more myth than math.

• And how fixing the tax system could actually help fight climate change.

This isn’t about numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s about what’s happening to your wallet every time you shop, save, or plan for your family’s future. Kimberly makes it not only understandable but actually kind of fun. (Comparing inflation to a boozy punch bowl!)

So grab that overpriced latte, settle in, and let’s talk about the forces shaping the economy we’re raising our kids in.

It's gonna get worse before it gets better, so you should know what you're in for.

About Kimberly:

Kimberly Clausing holds the Eric M. Zolt Chair in Tax Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law. Professor Clausing received her B.A. from Carleton College, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1996, both in economics

During the first part of the Biden Administration, Clausing was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis in the US Department of the Treasury, serving as the lead economist in the Office of Tax Policy.

Clausing has worked on economic policy research with the International Monetary Fund, the Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution, the Tax Policy Center, and the Center for American Progress. She has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Committee on Finance, the Senate Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Economic Committee.

Professor Clausing’s research examines how government decisions and corporate behavior interplay in the global economy. She has published numerous articles on taxation, climate policy, and international trade, and she is the author of Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital (Harvard University Press, 2019).

And, she's a Mom of two!