Facing the Future

The Concord Coalition

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How the nation’s fiscal and economic challenges, and possible solutions, impact current and future generations.

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243 episodes

A Democrat's Case for Fiscal Responsibility

This week on Facing the Future we hear from Zach Moller, director of the economic program at Third Way, a center-left think tank. He'll discuss his recent report called, "A Democratic Case for Fiscal Responsibility." We'll also look at the latest numbers on jobs and inflation.

44m
Mar 20
Pros and Cons of the Biden Budget

This week on Facing the Future, we look at President Biden's new budget. It has a plausible deficit reduction path but are the policies used to get there plausible as well? Our guests are Josh Gordon of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute.

44m
Mar 15
What to Look for in Biden's Budget

This week on Facing the Future our in-house panel of experts, policy director Tori Gorman and chief economist Steve Robinson, will preview the president’s State of the Union Address, scheduled for Thursday, March 7, and the president’s budget submission, scheduled for Monday, March 11.

43m
Mar 07
Budget Politics Risk a Shutdown (Again)

This week on Facing the Future we’ll talk about the long drawn-out Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process in Washington, which may be finally wrapping up in the next two weeks — or maybe not. With a partial shutdown looming on March 1st, we'll talk to Bill Hoagland, Senior Vice President of the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Republican staff director of the Senate Budget Committee.

44m
Feb 28
Monetary Policy at a Crossroads

This week on Facing the Future we'll examine how policies of the Federal Reserve Board affect the economy and the budget. Did the Fed's "quantitative easing" go too far and last too long? Our guest is Thomas Hoenig, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and a member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) from 1991 to 2011.

44m
Feb 21
CBO - U.S. Fiscal Path is Unsustainable

This week on Facing the Future, our guest was Dr. Phillip Swagel, Director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO just released its Budget and Economic Outlook for 2024-2034. Spoiler alert: It's not great news.

43m
Feb 15
January Jobs Jolt

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll look at the latest economic numbers with a focus on jobs, wages and interest rates. The January jobs report showed a very robust, and surprising, gain of 353,000 jobs, up from 333,000 in December. Gordon Gray, Vice President for Economic Policy at the American Action Forum will give us his take on what it means.

43m
Feb 08
Biden's Dubious Tax Pledge

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll take a close look at President Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on households with annual income below $400,000. Our guest is Ben Ritz, Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progressive Policy Institute. Ritz explains why that pledge is difficult to implement and how it undermines policymaking.

43m
Jan 31
A Bipartisan Tax Bill Takes Shape

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll look at the congressional tax agenda, both in the next few weeks and into 2025 when a number of provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire at the end of the year. Our guide through the congressional tax thicket is Rohit Kumar, Co-Leader of Washington National Tax Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

44m
Jan 24
Looming Fiscal Cliffs in 2025 and Beyond

This week on Facing the Future, our guest is Rachel Snyderman, Director of Economic Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. We’ll ask her about the fiscal challenges awaiting the winner of the 2024 presidential election and the more immediate challenge of finally passing the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills – something that is now four months overdue.

45m
Jan 17
Consequences of a Broken Budget Process

This week on Facing the Future, we talked with Molly Reynolds, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, about the breakdown of the congressional budget process. With another partial shutdown looming on January 19, we discussed why Congress never passes its annual appropriations bills on time, the problems this creates and whether there are any remedies.

44m
Jan 11
Fiscal Challenges for the Next Administration

Fiscal Challenges for the Next Administration

44m
Jan 03
The 2023 Fiscal Review: Running in Place

This week on Facing the Future, we looked back on budget and economic policy in 2023, which was mostly about avoiding crises, and where things stand heading into 2024. Our discussion featured a panel of Concord Coalition experts, including policy director Tori Gorman, chief economist Steve Robinson, national field director Phil Smith, deputy director Chris Colligan, and media and policy intern Kyle Duffy.

44m
Dec 27, 2023
The Fed Pivots With a Soft landing in Sight

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll focus on the latest economic projections from the Federal Reserve Board. Their last meeting, which concluded on December 13, certainly made some news with the projection that the Fed might actually begin to reduce interest rates in 2024. To guide us through the economic news, our guest this week is Robert Carroll, Co-leader of the EY’s Quantitative Economics and Statistics (QUEST) group. Concord Coalition policy director Tori Gorman and chief economist Steve Robinson join the conversation.

44m
Dec 20, 2023
A Tax Case That Could Upend the Code

This week, on Facing the Future, we began with a review of the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in Moore vs. United States, a case that could have a big effect on federal government revenues. Our guest was Steven Rosenthal, Senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Then, Tori Goman, Steve Robinson and I looked at some new numbers on U.S. life expectancy and whether there may be a glimmer of hope that a government shutdown can be avoided in January.

41m
Dec 13, 2023
Storm Clouds on the Economic Horizon

This week on Facing the Future we got an update on the latest inflation and economic growth numbers from Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum and former Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Despite some encouraging short-term numbers, Holtz-Eakin sees a few warning signs for 2024. We also discussed his new issue brief on employment-based immigration.

44m
Dec 06, 2023
Conrad and Portman Push for a Bipartisan Fiscal Commission

This week on Facing the Future our guests were former U.S. Senators, Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Rob Portman (R-OH). They have been lending their voices to the push for a new bipartisan fiscal commission that would propose solutions to our nation’s unsustainable budget outlook. Conrad chaired the Senate Budget Committee from 2001 to 2003, and again from 2007 to 2013. Portman served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under President George W. Bush.

44m
Nov 29, 2023
An Alarming Population Projection and Taxes as a Sleeper Issue

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll do a round-up of topics including new Census Bureau population projections, the road ahead for FY 2024 appropriations following passage of a new CR (continuing resolution) and a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, Moore v. United States, that could have a big effect on federal government revenues. Concord Coalition policy director Tori Gorman and chief economist Steve Robinson join the conversation.        

44m
Nov 24, 2023
Strategies for Fiscal Sustainability in a Divided Congress

This week on Facing the Future we heard from three members of Congress who took part in a virtual discussion on November 13 titled, “Working Toward a Sustainable Fiscal Future in a Divided Congress.” The three congressmen, Don Bacon (R-NE), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Scott Peters (D-CA) were recipients of The Concord Coalition’s 2023 Economic Patriot Award, which is given for efforts to bring about a more fiscally sustainable path for future generations.

45m
Nov 16, 2023
Is COVID Coming Home for the Holidays?

This week on Facing the Future, we’ll get an update on COVID-19 as we enter another holiday travel season. Our guest is Dr. Jodie Guest, an epidemiologist and professor at Emory University in Atlanta who also serves as an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Then, we’ll switch gears to discuss the latest developments on the economic front, such as the Fed’s decision to hold rates steady for now and the “Goldilocks” October jobs report.

44m
Nov 08, 2023
New Speaker. Same Problem.

This week on Facing the Future, we begin with a status check on the stalled appropriations process on Capitol Hill now that a new Speaker of the House has been selected by the Republican caucus. Our guest for that segment is Tom Kahn who served as Democratic House Budget Committee staff director from 1997 to 2016. He now teaches budget policy at American University in Washington. Then we’ll talk with Richard Coffin, Chief of Research and Advocacy at USA Facts, a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic initiative that makes government data easy for all Americans to access and understand. That’s certainly a useful mission for anyone interested in things like the nation’s fiscal challenges.

43m
Nov 02, 2023
Deficit Ballooned in Fiscal Year 2023

This week on Facing the Future, we looked at the final federal budget numbers for Fiscal Year 2023 and why the deficit shot up. Then we discussed President Biden’s $106 billion supplemental spending request for Ukraine, Israel and other international priorities. And finally, we heard from Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute and Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget on the threat of rising interest rates and the prospects for a new fiscal commission. 

44m
Oct 26, 2023
Congress Should Reclaim Its Power of the Purse

This week on Facing the Future, we talk with former Congressman and Ambassador Richard Swett about the work he’s been doing with a Princeton University initiative on restoring the Constitutional powers of Congress. Swett serves on a subcommittee dealing with the power of the purse, something of great interest to The Concord Coalition. Then, we’ll get Swett’s perspectives on how security challenges in Israel and Ukraine might play out.

44m
Oct 20, 2023
Congress Again Kicks the Can on Funding Bills

This week on Facing the Future we’ll look at how Congress avoided a government shutdown on September 30 and whether they’ll be able to do it again by November 17 when the short-term deal they reached comes to an end. Then we'll look at the latest economic numbers and consider what they mean for the federal budget. Concord Coalition policy director Tori Gorman and chief economist Steve Robinson join me for the discussion.

45m
Oct 13, 2023
A Fiscal Policy Day of Reckoning

This week on Facing the Future, we look at the “day of reckoning” that our guest Eugene Steurele of the Urban Institute, says is coming for U.S. fiscal policy. And we’ll also get Steuerle's take on why the budget is, and has been, transferring resources from America’s youth to richer, older generations. Concord Coalition policy director Tori Gorman and chief economist Steve Robinson join the conversation.

44m
Oct 05, 2023
What’s Up With Swing Voters?

This week on Facing the Future we talk with Rich Thau, President of Engagious, a leading firm in scientifically testing and refining the effectiveness of business and issue-advocacy content. The firm has been conducting a series of focus groups across the country with people who voted for Trump in 2016 and for Biden in 2020. What these key voters have to say will help determine who wins the 2024 presidential race. Then, we'll get the latest from Capitol Hill on whether Congress can avoid a shutdown on October 1st.

45m
Sep 28, 2023
Why Can’t Congress Get It’s Work Done?

This week on Facing the Future, we examine the possibility of a government shutdown. If Congress fails to agree on funding levels for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1st, many government offices will need to close their doors. With less than two weeks to go, negotiators seem far apart and it's not just Democrats vs Republicans. Division among House Republicans has also been a problem. We discuss the state of play with Jon Lieber, managing director of the Eurasia Group and a former senior advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell. 

44m
Sep 21, 2023
Questions the Candidates Need to Answer

This week on Facing the Future, we look at some key questions about the federal budget that voters should ask candidates in the 2024 election cycle. With The federal budget deficit rising again and our national debt already on an unsustainable long-term trajectory, voters should expect candidates to explain how they intend to deal with the huge challenges that lie ahead. Spoiler alert: It goes beyond cutting mere "waste, fraud, and abuse."

45m
Sep 14, 2023
Is It Time for a New, Bipartisan Fiscal Commission?

This week on Facing the Future, we talk to Romina Boccia https://www.cato.org/people/romina-boccia, Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy for the CATO Institute. Boccia argues in a recent piece that it is time for a new bipartisan commission to take a broad look at the serious fiscal challenges the federal government faces and propose some solutions that would become law directly unless Congress opts out of any of the proposals. This would include everything from how to reduce massive government healthcare spending to raising new revenue and reforming Social Security and Medicare. This idea of a commission has been tried in the past, but often Congress fails to implement any of the reasonable and well thought out reforms. Could this time perhaps be different?

44m
Sep 07, 2023
New Hampshire State Budget Challenges Mirror Those in Washington

This week on Facing the Future, we catch up with Phill Sletten, research director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, a Concord based nonpartisan state budget think tank. Phil walks us through the current state budget snapshot and talks about some of the short and long-term economic challenges facing the Granite State. Though a smaller scale, many of New Hampshire's budgetary problems mirror our national fiscal challenges at the federal level. Plus, we hear from Concord Coalition chief economist Steve Robinson who has just completed a three-part issue brief series looking at the history and future of the Social Security Trust Fund.  

44m
Aug 30, 2023