Lydia DePillis

Reporter

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Lydia DePillis joined ProPublica in 2019. Before that, she covered national economics issues for CNN Business, Texas’ economy for the Houston Chronicle, labor and the workplace for The Washington Post, and the business, culture and politics of the technology industry for The New Republic. DePillis was also previously a real estate columnist for the Washington City Paper, where she authored its award-winning Housing Complex blog. Her work has appeared in the New York Observer, Pacific Standard, Slate and various trade publications. She’s from Seattle, and is based in Washington, D.C.

She’s Supposed to Protect Americans From Toxic Chemicals. First, She Just Has to Fix Trump’s Mess and Decades of Neglect.

Biden promised to prioritize people over polluters. His pick to deliver that, Michal Freedhoff, is facing a bare-bones budget, demoralized staff and increasingly angry advocates.

They Promised Quick and Easy PPP Loans. Often, They Only Delivered Hassle and Heartache.

More than a million government-approved loans ended up being canceled, including some that would have gone to people who needed the loans and applied just as they were told.

This Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic. Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It.

Irene Bosch developed a quick, inexpensive COVID-19 test in early 2020. The Harvard-trained scientist already had a factory set up. But she was stymied by an FDA process experts say made no sense.

Here’s Why Rapid COVID Tests Are So Expensive and Hard to Find

Monthslong silences. Mysterious rejections. Here’s what's behind the shortages of a critical tool for ending the pandemic.

The Government Gave Free PPP Money to Public Companies Despite Warning Them Not to Apply

At least 120 publicly traded companies that received large PPP loans grew their revenues last year and have been allowed to keep the money anyway, according to a ProPublica analysis. The program was built to help small businesses.

This Company Got a $10 Million PPP Loan, Then Closed Its Plant and Moved Manufacturing Jobs to Mexico

Many American businesses received millions in federal pandemic aid intended to protect workers, but exploited loopholes and rule changes to lay off those employees anyway.

The Government Is Here to Help Small Businesses — Unless They’re Cooperatives

The Small Business Administration’s rules prevent it from helping most employee- and consumer-owned cooperatives, even though Congress specifically asked it to. The result? Co-ops are largely cut out of the mainstream financial system.

An Online Lender Gave Hundreds of PPP Loans to Fake Farms. Now Congress Is Investigating.

A House committee has opened a probe into loans by Kabbage and other fintech companies after ProPublica reported that millions had gone to businesses that do not exist.

Hundreds of PPP Loans Went to Fake Farms in Absurd Places

An online lending platform called Kabbage sent 378 pandemic loans worth $7 million to fake companies (mostly farms) with names like “Deely Nuts” and “Beefy King.”

The Federal Government Will Now Give PPP Loans to Borrowers in Bankruptcy

Thousands of companies working their way out of bankruptcy are now eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program after ProPublica reported that the Small Business Administration had been excluding them.

How a Federal Agency Excluded Thousands of Viable Businesses From Pandemic Relief

The Small Business Administration refuses to give pandemic relief loans to people who have filed for bankruptcy, even if their businesses can survive.

How the Pandemic Economy Could Wipe Out a Generation of Black-Owned Businesses

Danette Wilder spent years building up her company. Now it has to survive an existential threat to Black entrepreneurs.

The IRS Cashed Her Check. Then the Late Notices Started Coming.

A mountainous backlog of paperwork at the IRS continues to wreak havoc on America’s tax collection system — which especially hurts lower-income filers.

Twitter and YouTube Banned Steve Bannon. Apple Still Gives Him Millions of Listeners.

Steve Bannon broadcasts election denialism and apocalyptic calls to action several times a day via Apple’s podcast app. He’s not the only one using the platform to spread claims that became a rallying cry of the mob that threatened the Capitol.

The SEC Undermined a Powerful Weapon Against White-Collar Crime

Now the lawyer who wrote the rules that gave Wall Street insiders a big financial incentive to report crimes to the SEC is suing the government for changing them.

Police intervene as supporters of President Donald Trump breach security and enter the Capitol on Wednesday.

Capitol Rioters Planned for Weeks in Plain Sight. The Police Weren’t Ready.

Insurrectionists made no effort to hide their intentions, but law enforcement protecting Congress was caught flat-footed.

The Trump Administration’s Final Push to Make It Easier for Religious Employers to Discriminate

Last-minute policies on religious freedom clear the way for employers to hire on the basis of faith. Some of the changes won't be easy for Biden to undo.

Who Biden Is Putting in Power

Here’s ProPublica’s running list of Joe Biden’s picks to run the federal government.

How Dozens of Trump’s Political Appointees Will Stay in Government After Biden Takes Over

Documents show that officials appointed by Trump who’d otherwise lose their jobs under Biden have been approved for permanent positions in federal agencies.

Tracking the Trump Administration’s “Midnight Regulations”

The administration is rushing to implement dozens of policy changes in its final days. We’re following some of the most consequential and controversial.

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