Facing the Future

This week on Facing the Future we look at President Biden’s ambitious policy agenda with former Ambassador and New Hampshire Congressman Richard Swett. Then we go to Las Vegas with Concord Coalition Field Director Phil Smith and Jayce Farmer, professor of public policy at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, who uses Concord's Principles and Priorities budget exercise with his mid-career graduate students.

When you're trying to pass legislation in Washington, rules matter. This week on Facing the Future we take a close look at one of the most controversial rules: the Senate filibuster. Our guest is David Schiappa of the Duberstein Group, who spent nearly three decades as a high-ranking Senate staffer providing advice and counsel to Republican leaders. We discuss the background of the filibuster and whether it might be eliminated. Tori Gorman, Concord's policy director leads the conversation. Then, I end the program with a few words about paying the bill for infrastructure.   

New presidents often put out a "skinny budget" early in their administration covering just a portion of federal spending. This week on Facing the Future, we look at President Biden's skinny budget with its $1.5 trillion request for fiscal year 2022 appropriations. Then we delve into a full range of economic and other challenges posed by population aging. Our guest is Richard Jackson, president of the Global Aging Institute.

On this Facing the Future, Bob was joined by experts from two of Washington's most respected think tanks. Jim Capretta, a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discussed how the Biden administration may pay for it's agenda. Isabel Sawhill, Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and author of several books including the recently published A New Contract with the Middle Class, joined later for a conversation that ranged from family support programs, tax policy, and the minimum wage.

On the latest Facing the Future we were joined by Jon Lieber, a Capitol Hill veteran of many important budget negotiations and the current Managing Director of the Eurasia Group and Tori Gorman, Policy Director of The Concord Coalition. We reviewed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, the politics of immigration, and more.

Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L. Bixby, Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman, Concord's National Field Director, Phil Smith, and Director of Health Policy for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Josh Gordon. They discuss COVID relief, PAYGO, sequestration, infrastructure investment, CRFB’s Health Savers Initiative, and more.

Chase is joined on the show by former Comptroller General of the United States, David M. Walker, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L. Bixby, and Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman. They discuss the latest COVID relief package, the idea of a Fiscal Sustainability Commission, and highlights from Walker’s latest book, which looks ahead to what America might look like in 2040.

Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L. Bixby, Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman, and Bill Hoagland, a senior vice president at the Bipartisan Policy Center. They discuss the ongoing reconciliation process. Also during the program, an interview with Hamilton Project Director and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Wendy Edelberg, on COVID-19 relief proposals, which was recorded as part of a recent webinar.