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PODCAST

Facing the Future

The Concord Coalition

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

government non-profit

All Episodes

44:45

The Urgency of Social Security Reform

Facing the Future ·

2026/01/07

This week on Facing the Future, we discussed Social Security reform with Jason Fichtner, executive director of the LIMRA Retirement Income Institute and former chief economist at the Social Security Administration. With the program's main trust fund projected to be depleted by 2032, prompt action must be taken to avoid sudden benefit cuts.

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44:49

Another Year Older and Deeper in Debt

Facing the Future ·

2025/12/24

This week on Facing the Future, Concord Coalition executive director Carolyn Bourdeaux and other top members of Concord's staff look back on key fiscal developments of 2025 and the deepening debt challenges of 2026. Join us for Facing the Future's holiday 'Friends and Family' episode.

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44:52

Controlling Medicare Costs

Facing the Future ·

2025/12/16

This week on Facing the Future we’ll look at Medicare, one of the biggest drivers of America’s long-term fiscal outlook. Amy Bassano, a former deputy director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and now Managing Director of Medicare services at Health Management Associates, discusses cost trends and reform options.

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44:52

New Leaders are Needed to Solve Old Problems

Facing the Future ·

2025/12/10

This week on Facing the Future, Leon Panetta, one of Washington's most experienced budget experts and a top national security official, gives us his view on what it will take to restore fiscal discipline and why achieving that goal is crucial.

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44:22

The Bond Market is King

Facing the Future ·

2025/12/03

This week on Facing the Future, we'll check in on the economy and the bond market with Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. She recently wrote a paper for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation titled, “Welcome to the New Era of U.S. Debt Where the Bond Market is King.”

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43:44

Government Reopens With All The Same Problems

Facing the Future ·

2025/11/19

This week on Facing the Future, we look at the daunting agenda facing Congress after passing a budget deal to temporarily reopen the government. Our guest is Ben Ritz, Vice President of Policy Development at the Progressive Policy Institute.

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44:27

Untethered Fiscal Policy Challenges the Fed

Facing the Future ·

2025/11/12

This week on Facing the Future, Peter Fisher, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy, describes the potential consequences of America's “untethered fiscal policy” and the risks of hyperinflation or default on the debt.

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44:37

Premium Subsidy Extension Should Be Paid For

Facing the Future ·

2025/11/05

This week on Facing the Future, we looked at the major impact of health care spending on the federal budget with Anna Bonelli, Director of Health Policy at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The discussion included expiring enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare insolvency and Medicare Advantage overpayments.

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44:31

What's Next For Tax Policy?

Facing the Future ·

2025/10/29

This week on Facing the Future, we focused on tax policy with Howard Gleckman, non-resident fellow at the Urban Institute and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. He explained his recent column, "What The Ugly History of Tax Policy Over The Past Four Decades Means For The Future."

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44:54

Huizenga and Peters Say No Budget No Pay

Facing the Future ·

2025/10/21

This week on Facing the Future we talked with Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) about two bills they have co-sponsored. One would create a bipartisan fiscal commission and the other would dock the pay of members of Congress for not doing their budget and appropriations bills on time.

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44:47

Economic Growth Alone Won't Reduce the Debt

Facing the Future ·

2025/10/15

This week on Facing the Future, former CBO director Doug Elmendorf of Harvard's Kennedy School discussed the state of the economy, the government shutdown and why policymakers should not rely on economic growth alone to rein in the unsustainable growth of debt.

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45:01

Economic Fallout from the Shutdown

Facing the Future ·

2025/10/08

This week on Facing the Future we looked at the federal government shutdown from political and economic perspectives. Our guests were David Lerman, Editor of CQ Budget, who covers Capitol Hill, and Gordon Gray, Vice President for Budget Analysis at the Peter G Peterson Foundation, who tracks the economy.

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45:00

Expiring Subsidies and New Fees

Facing the Future ·

2025/10/01

This week on Facing the Future, we discussed expiring premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans with Matt McGough of KFF and a new fee proposed by President Trump for high-skilled worker visas (H-1B) with Theresa Cardinal Brown of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

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44:57

The Debt is the Threat

Facing the Future ·

2025/09/24

This week on Facing the Future, former U. S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) discussed why the nation's debt is on an unsustainable path and what needs to be done about it.

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44:51

The Economic Impact of Artificial Intelligence

Facing the Future ·

2025/09/17

This week on Facing the Future, Dr. Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn-Wharton Budget Model discussed a new report on the potential economic and budgetary impact of generative AI. He also described an illustrative package of tax and spending reforms to reduce future budget deficits and grow the economy.

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45:06

Government Shutdown Looms

Facing the Future ·

2025/09/10

This week on Facing the Future, Rachel Snyderman and Caleb Quakenbush of the Bipartisan Policy Center discuss the prospect of a government shutdown, the growth in tariff revenue and the president's "pocket rescission."

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44:53

Rethinking a Balanced Budget Amendment to the...

Facing the Future ·

2025/09/03

This week on Facing the Future, Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Americans for Prosperity, explained why he thinks a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution is needed, why past efforts failed and how a new effort could succeed.

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44:34

Should Taxes Be Designated for Specific Purposes?

Facing the Future ·

2025/08/27

This week on Facing the Future, tax expert Bill Gale of the Brookings Institution discussed the effects of higher tariffs and a new commentary he co-authored on the idea of using earmarked revenues as a deficit reduction strategy. Concord Coalition Executive Director Carolyn Bourdeaux joined the conversation.

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44:51

What Would a Debt-induced Crisis Look Like?

Facing the Future ·

2025/08/19

This week on Facing the Future we talked with Dennis Lockhart, former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He gave us his take on the state of the economy and what might happen in a debt-induced fiscal crisis. Concord Coalition Executive Director Carolyn Bourdeaux joined the conversation.

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44:58

Are Social Security's Self-financing Days Ending?

Facing the Future ·

2025/08/13

This week on Facing the Future, former Social Security Public Trustee Charles Blahous discussed the program's deepening financing challenges on its 90th anniversary and explained why postponing action just makes things worse.

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194 results

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