As regular readers of this blog know, I often provide links to tax reports by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  In recognition of the liberal think tank’s 25-year anniversary this year, the Washington Post ran a wonderful profile recently: A Powerhouse for the Poor, by Steven Pearlstein:

For the past 25 years — starting with the Reagan budget cuts of the 1980s, through the Republican takeover of Congress in the 1990s and continuing through the Bush tax cuts and entitlement reforms — [Bob] Greenstein & Co. have been there for every hearing, every amendment and every budget reconciliation, ensuring that the interests of the poor and working class are considered.

Their weapons in these battles are reliable data, sound analysis and an ability to deliver it when needed. They know when and how to cut and deal. And thanks largely to the center’s work, programs like food stamps, nutrition for mothers and children, and the earned income tax credit have grown despite decades of cuts in domestic programs. …

It hasn’t just survived, it has thrived. The center has grown into a $13 million-a-year operation with a staff of more than 80, affiliated organizations in 21 states and a small but growing international division. Its money comes from some of the country’s blue-chip foundations, luding Ford, Rockefeller, MacArthur, Casey, Packard and Mott.

In celebration of its anniversary, the Center has produced this 13-minute video narrated by former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw.