Spilling the Inequali-Tea with Oxfam

March 19, 2026

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Blog, Food Security, Homelessness, Income Inequality, Oxfam, Wage Gap, Women, Women and Girls, Women’s Rights

Jennifer James

As an ambassador for Oxfam’s Sisters on the Planet, I am always happy to share the great work Oxfam does around inequality here in the States and around the world. Other Sisters on the Planet ambassadors are hosting teas with women in their communities. As an online writer, I find my community here – online, so I’ll grab a tea as I type this. I hope you get a cup of tea as well.

Oxfam sent us a great goody box of tea, honey, and cookies, all curated from companies owned by people of color, to serve as inspiration to share information around inequality in the United States.

We all know that these past few years have been hard on pocketbooks and bank accounts. Food, products, gas, and services cost more than ever before. I find myself furrowing my brow every time I step into a store. Prices are out of control! As we find it hard to grasp these rising costs, Oxfam continues to examine why the ultra-wealthy keep getting richer while everyday people’s incomes remain stagnant.

In 2025, billionaire wealth increased three times faster than the average over the previous five years. The United States also has more billionaires than any other country, while 40 percent of Americans are considered poor or low income. This is not new. In the 1980s, Congress changed the tax code to benefit wealthy organizations and corporations. Policy is behind the increased wealth of the ultra-wealthy.

Some Facts You Might Not Know:

The 12 richest billionaires now hold more wealth than the poorest half of humanity.
An estimated 10 million Americans will lose their health insurance, and 2 million will lose food assistance because of the One Big Beautiful Bill’s cuts to health care and food assistance
Homelessness is at a record high. Landlords filed more than one million evictions in the past year.
Globally, men hold an estimated $105 trillion more wealth than women.
In the U.S., the pay gap for full-time women workers widened for the second consecutive year.
Billionaires are 4000 times more likely to hold political office.

Oxfam’s Proposals

The Billionaires Income Tax would raise $560 billion over the next decade by taxing ultra-wealthy individuals on the real growth of their wealth, including unrealized gains. This would ensure they contribute proportionally as their fortunes rise, instead of indefinitely deferring taxes while their wealth compounds.

Bill Number: S. 2845, H.R. 5427

Who Introduced It: Senator Don Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9)

The Equal Tax Act eliminates the preferential tax rate for long-term capital gains and dividends over $1 million, finally taxing income from wealth like income from work.

Bill Number: H.R. 5336

Who Introduced It: Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3)

The Restoring Food Security for American Families and Farmers Act reverses the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) made by the OBBBA.

Bill Number: H.R. 6088, S. 3281

Who Introduced It: Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5) and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)

The FAMILY Act would create a permanent national paid family and medical leave program, so workers wouldn’t have to choose between care and a paycheck. Because women shoulder the majority of care work, paid leave is a direct investment in gender equity, economic security, and dignity.

Bill Number: H.R. 5390, S.2823

Who Introduced It: Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-3) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

The Oligarch Act imposes a 2–8% wealth tax on fortunes greater than 1,000 times the median household wealth, limiting runaway inequality, raising critical revenue, and helping protect democracy.