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

Oct 29, 2025
Oct 29, 2025
44 min
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."

Oct 21, 2025
Oct 21, 2025
44 min
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.

Oct 15, 2025
Oct 15, 2025
44 min
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.

Oct 8, 2025
Oct 8, 2025
45 min

Oct 1, 2025
Oct 1, 2025
45 min
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.

Sep 24, 2025
Sep 24, 2025
44 min
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.

Sep 17, 2025
Sep 17, 2025
44 min
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.

Sep 10, 2025
Sep 10, 2025
45 min
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."

Sep 3, 2025
Sep 3, 2025
44 min

Aug 27, 2025
Aug 27, 2025
44 min
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.
