Facing the Future Show Archive

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Richard Jackson, president and founder of the Global Aging Institute, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman, Concord's National Field Director, Phil Smith, Dr.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future, Ben Ritz, and Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Policy Director, Tori Gorman, and Phil Sletten, senior policy analyst at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Policy Director, Tori Gorman, economist Diane Lim and journalist and podcast host Katherine Goldstein.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Policy Director, Tori Gorman, Jon Lieber, managing director with the Eurasia Group, and attorney Brad Cook. We discussed the leadership and legacy of the late U.S.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Policy Director, Tori Gorman. We discussed the fiscal and economic challenges facing the President and Congress over the next four years as well as action-forcing events on fiscal policy.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Urban Institute Fellow, Bob Lerman, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Rob Atkinson, and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by President of the American Action Forum and former Congressional Budget Office Director, Dr. Doug Holtz-Eakin, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Senior Policy Director and Senior Vice President at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Marc Goldwein, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Joe Antos, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Josh Gordon, director of Health Policy at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and Concord’s Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by former U.S.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Will Marshall, president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute, Concord Coalition Policy Director, Tori Gorman, and Concord’s Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Jason Fichtner, senior lecturer and an associate director of the Master of International Economics and Finance program at Johns Hopkins University, and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Jon Lieber, managing director at the Eurasia Group, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby and Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by former United States Representative Lee Hamilton, who served Indiana’s 9th district from 1965 to 1999, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Concord's National Field Director, Phil Smith, and Indiana-bas

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute, Andrew Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and Concord's Policy Director,

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Richard Jackson, president and founder of the Global Aging Institute and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Dr. Jodie Guest, a research professor and epidemiologist at Emory University, Concord Coalition National Field Director Phil Smith and Concord’s Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by American Enterprise Institute Resident Fellow and Milton Friedman Chair, Jim Capretta, and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby. We discussed current fiscal and economic policy, entitlement programs, health care and even the federal debt limit.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Congressional Budget Office Director, Phil Swagel, Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby and Policy Director Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Bob Carroll, co-director of EY's U.S. National Tax Quantitative Economics and Statistics Group (QUEST), as well as Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by former economic adviser to President Obama and Harvard Professor, Jason Furman, as well as Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby and Policy Director Tori Gorman.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby, Policy Director Tori Gorman and President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Maya MacGuineas.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby, Dr. Diane Lim, director of outreach and senior advisor for the Penn Wharton Budget Model and Dr.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition National Field Director Phil Smith and Concord volunteer Fiscal Lookouts, Brad Keithley and Bill Greenlaw. We discuss the Fiscal Lookout program, Brad and Bill's grassroots experiences in Alaska and New Jersey and how listeners can make their voices heard and effect change.          

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Nicko Gladstone, a research analyst with the Bipartisan Policy Center, Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby and Policy Director Tori Gorman to discuss how the pandemic might impact Social Security and the latest on Capitol Hill.   

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Global Aging Institute Founder Richard Jackson and Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby, Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future, Ben Ritz, and Fiscal Policy Analyst, Brendan McDermott, for a discussion of PPI’s recent publication titled "

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Marc Goldwein, Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director for the Committee for a Responsible Budget (CRFB), and Phil Sletten, Senior Policy Analyst for the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (NHFPI).

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Gene Steuerle, a fellow at the Urban Institute and Concord Coalition Policy Director, Tori Gorman. We discussed when pay-fors should be considered for economic-relief packages passed by Congress, when policymakers should address long-term budget deficits and what new aid packages elected leaders are exploring.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Wilson H. Taylor Resident Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Joe Antos, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law Professor and Director of Health Law and Policy Programs, Lucy Hodder, and Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by former Congressman and Ambassador Richard N. Swett, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, Policy Director Tori Gorman and Senior Policy Advisor Josh Gordon.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Donald Marron, a fellow and director of economic policy initiatives at the Urban Institute and a member of The Concord Coalition’s board of directors.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Policy Director Tori Gorman. We discussed the federal government’s response to the Coronavirus, including stimulus packages and their potential impact on long-term fiscal policy.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, Loren Adler the associate director of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy and Lucy Hodder professor and director of health law and policy at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law. 

On the latest Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Senior Policy Advisor Josh Gordon joined me to discuss health care, from challenges and changes to the Affordable Care Act to trends driving up federal spending in key programs.

Former Comptroller General of the United States David Walker and Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined the latest Facing the Future to discuss defense spending, fiscal policy as a national security issue and more.

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined the latest Facing the Future to discuss Concord’s focus in 2020 and beyond, a fiscally responsible economic growth agenda.

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Diane Lim, Economist Mom and director of outreach and senior advisor at the Penn Wharton Budget Model, joined the latest Facing the Future to discuss President Trump’s budget proposal, the opportunity costs of an unchecked national debt and why budget deficits still matter. 

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and National Field Director Phil Smith joined me on the latest Facing the Future. We spent the program answering a wide range of fiscal-policy related questions submitted by listeners in this second annual Q&A session.

Concord Coalition National Field Director Phil Smith and Concord Fiscal Lookout John Bohm from Virginia joined me on the latest Facing the Future. Smith provided an update on Concord’s nationwide grassroots efforts, Bohm shared a bit of his history that reaches back to one of Concord's co-founders and they both shared their experiences during the New Hampshire Primary and the recent College Convention. 

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute Brian Riedl and Director of the Center for Funding America’s Future at the Progressive Policy Institute Ben Ritz join me for the show’s 100th episode.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Urban Institute Fellow Dr. Robert Lerman joined me to discuss Dr.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, New Hampshire State Director Tyler Sweeney and Iowa-based consultant Ashley Hunt, joined me to discuss grassroots efforts during the 2016 and 2020 presidential election cycles, social media use during campaigns and voter engagement.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and “Economist Mom” Diane Lim, a Senior Advisor at the Penn Wharton Budget Model, joined me to discuss generational perspectives on fiscal and economic policy and the role of economists in policy making.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, COO of the Millennial Action Project Layla Zaidane and newly published author Steven Borne joined me to discuss Millennial perspectives on key issues, building trust amongst members of Congress, fiscal policy, government efficiency and more.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution Stuart M.

On Facing the Facts this week, The Concord Coaliton’s Executive Director Robert L Bixby substituted for regular host Chase Hagaman. Bixby’s guest was Josh Gordon, Executive Vice President and Director of Policy & Research at Free the Facts. Prior to joining Free the Facts in October, Gordon served for 18 years as Concord’s Policy Director.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Marc Goldwein joined me to discuss Social Security reform and how it fits into Concord's new fiscally responsible economic growth agenda.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined me to discuss Concord's new fiscally-responsible economic growth agenda, which concerns key topics like health care, workforce development, R&D investment, Social Security and immigration reform.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Senior Advisor at the Penn Wharton Budget Model Diane Lim joined me to discuss missed opportunity costs created by a large-and-growing national debt, perennial budget deficits and interest on the debt. 

On Facing the Future, Policy Analyst for the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute Phil Sletten joined me to discuss interactive budget exercises, similarities and differences between state and federal budget processes and the impact federal policies can have on state budget decisions. 

On Facing the Future, Wilson H. Taylor Resident Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute Joseph Antos revealed a new report on health care reform by AEI and the Brookings Institution. Former Ambassador and Congressman Richard N.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined me, Senior Policy Fellow in Economic Freedom at Americans for Prosperity Alison Acosta Winters and Senior Advisor at the Penn Wharton Budget Model Diane Lim. They discuss the work of PWBM and AFP on economic and fiscal policy and methods to make such issues more understandable and relatable. 

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined me and President of the Information, Technology and Innovation Foundation Dr. Robert Atkinson to discuss ITIF’s new plan that calls for and outlines an increased federal funding commitment to research and development.

On Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby joined me and Senior Vice President at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Marc Goldwein to discuss CRFB’s latest proposal to combat the next recession in a fiscally responsible manner.

On the latest Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

During Facing the Future, Concord Coalition National Field Director Phil Smith and three of Concord’s volunteer Fiscal Lookouts joined the program to discuss grassroots efforts in their respective states and their perspectives on federal fiscal policy.

On the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Policy Director Josh Gordon and then by Eli Stokols, a staff writer and White House reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

On the latest Facing the Future, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute Brian Riedl, joined me to discuss his “Plausible Blueprint for Fiscal Sustainability.” The proposal addresses a variety of issues, such as the national debt, taxes, health care, Social Security and more.

During the most recent Facing the Future, Ben Ritz, director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future, joined me to discuss PPI’s latest policy proposal, “A Progressive Budget for Equitable Growth.” The blueprint addresses a variety of issues, such as the national debt, taxes, health care, infrastructure, climat

During the most recent Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and economist Diane Lim on the latest Facing the Future for the “Economist Mom” segment. We discussed real world policy and program strategies that could adapt worker benefits to the evolving economy and changing nature of work. 

During the most recent Facing the Future, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L.

The latest Facing the Future featured Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Urban Institute Fellow Eugene Steuerle.

I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and economist Diane Lim on the latest Facing the Future for the “Economist Mom” segment. We picked up on our conversation about the changing economy and the changing nature of work.

During the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and American Action Forum Director of Immigration and Trade Policy Jacqueline Varas. We discussed Concord's new initiative, a fiscally responsible economic growth agenda, as well as immigration and tariffs.

During the latest Facing the Future, I was joined by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and economist Diane Lim for the next “Economist Mom” segment.

“A lot of people now think that alternative facts had to do with the Trump campaign … we think it started way before that,” said Morgan Marietta. “It’s not about Trump, and it’s not going away when Trump goes away.”

On the latest Facing the Future, Alice Rivlin is remembered as a valued colleague, a trailblazer and a policy expert focused on bringing people together and making progress on important issues.

“This is public education, about fiscal responsibility, that’s it,” said Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby in describing the organization. “That’s what we do on a nonpartisan basis.”

Bixby said Concord’s founders wanted it to be grassroots and oriented toward public education because there were already plenty of think tanks in Washington. “The Concord Coalition has always maintained the focus of being beyond the Beltway.”

The latest Facing the Future featured Robert L. Bixby, Josh Gordon and “Economist Mom” Diane Lim. They discussed potential tax extender legislation in Congress, a recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis concerning interest on the national debt, and how the country’s economy has changed.

During the latest Facing the Future, Adam Lord, a manager at the CPA firm Penchansky & Co. in Manchester, New Hampshire discussed the 2017 tax legislation and how some of the changes impacted taxpayers.

As a millennial and member of The Concord Coalition’s New Hampshire advisory board, Lord said his generation needs to step up and become more involved in the conversations on issues like taxes, the economy, Social Security and health care.

“To me the number one message is: We are running out of time,” said Marc Goldwein. “Medicare Part A is projected to be insolvent in just seven years, the Social Security Old Age program is projected to be insolvent within 15 years.”

“We cannot guarantee full benefits under current law for today’s retirees,” said Goldwein, a senior vice president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “So action is needed pretty quickly to put these programs on a sustainable path.”

On the latest Facing the Future Joe Antos, the Wilson H. Taylor Scholar in Health Care and Retirement Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, discussed the nation's health care system and potential reforms to help reduce cost growth.

Robert L. Bixby, The Concord Coalition’s executive director, framed the conversation by explaining the system’s current costs.  

The latest “Economist Mom” segment on Facing the Future, featured Bill Gale, Diane Lim and Robert L. Bixby. They discussed Gale’s new book, “Fiscal Therapy: Curing America’s Debt Addiction and Investing in the Future.”

New Hampshire Institute of Politics Executive Director Neil Levesque joined the latest Facing the Future program to discuss the institute, the New Hampshire primary, presidential candidates and more.  

Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Policy Director Joshua Gordon joined the latest Facing the Future to discuss the nation’s health care system and “Medicare for All” proposals.  

During the latest “Economist Mom” segment on Facing the Future, Diane Lim said that President Trump’s proposed budget is not likely to spark needed fiscal reform efforts.

“I think that those efforts have to start in a bipartisan way in Congress,” said Lim, a principal at the District Economics Group.

Wayne Lesperance, vice president of academic affairs and professor at New England College, and Stephan Unger, a professor of economics and business at Saint Anselm College, joined the latest Facing the Future program to discuss political and civic engagement of college students, the New Hampshire primary, the fiscal policies of other nations and more.

During the latest “Economist Mom” segment on Facing the Future, Diane Lim, a principal at the District Economics Group, said that the statutory debt limit has become a problem because it is used as a political weapon instead of a tool for fiscal discipline.

During the latest Facing the Future program, political correspondent Paul Steinhauser and Concord Coalition New Hampshire State Director Tyler Sweeney discussed candidates running for president in 2020 and activities taking place in advance of the New Hampshire primary.

Economist Diane Lim hopes that Washington policymakers “will somehow become woke and enlightened and . . . say, ‘Hey you know what? We need to focus more on our economy and to do more of what would help our economy prosper.’ ” If that happens, she says, “there are a lot of things that policymakers could do on the immigration front to . . . dispel this notion that it’s a zero-sum game.”

On the latest Facing the Future program, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby discussed President Trump’s State of the Union address and crucial items that were missing in it.  

“One thing the president didn’t do . . . was face the future on the fiscal front,” Bixby said. “There was really no mention of the debt . . . there was no mention of the annual federal budget deficit.”

Diane Lim discusses the end of the government’s longest shutdown and the new 10-year outlook from the Congressional Budget Office in the latest “Economist Mom” segment on Facing the Future.

On Facing the Future, economist Brian Gottlob joined the most recent program to discuss demographic trends, budget deficits during a period of economic growth, and feedback from the latest tax code overhaul.

“We’ve had deficits, and we’ve had big deficits for a while,” Gottlob said. “This situation is more concerning. . . we’re running very large deficits at a time when the economy has had really good growth over the last couple of years.”

In the latest “Economist Mom” segment on Facing the Future, Diane Lim discusses the partial government shutdown and the state of the nation’s fiscal policies, handing out poor grades to Congress and discussing what President Trump should tell the nation about Washington’s budget problems.

Lim gave Congress a “D” or “F” for its job performance this year.

On the latest Facing the Future program, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby discusses the partial government shutdown and rules changes in the U.S. House.

Some of the rules changes that resulted from the change in House leadership have a bearing on fiscal issues, Bixby said.

“It would be nice if, in the long term, we actually paid for the government that we want,” says economist Diane Lim.

The latest Facing the Future features Lim and Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby in another “Economist Mom” segment. With a holiday theme, they discuss the Congressional Budget Office’s recent report on options to reduce the federal deficit.

Democratic Congressman-elect Chris Pappas and former Republican Party State Chair Jennifer Horn joined the latest Facing the Future program to discuss campaigns, policy priorities and the need for bipartisan reform.

Among the policy issues mentioned by Pappas, he stressed the importance of identifying budget priorities and tackling growing budget deficits.

In the latest "Economist Mom" segment on Facing the Future, Diane Lim discussed some of the reasons that politicians and the public are often overly optimistic about federal deficits and the economy.

During the latest edition of Facing the Future Steve Duprey, a longtime friend of the late Senator John McCain, discussed his legacy. Duprey, a New Hampshire businessman and Republican national committeeman, also touched on midterm election results and the New Hampshire primary in 2020.

Duprey praised McCain’s character and approach to politics.

“He was willing to admit when he made a mistake in judgment or fell short of his own expectations of how he should handle something,” Duprey said.

“I think that there has been a little bit of shock and awe among the fiscal policy community, reacting to the fact that this big tax cut passed,” said Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group and former chief economist for The Concord Coalition.

“We could be facing an even more tense face-off between the two parties on spending and taxes” as the result of the recent congressional elections, says Robert L. Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition.

Having entered the White House in the midst of the Great Recession, then President Obama spent much of his time in office trying to deal with the weakened economy. Tax cuts and stimulus spending measures contributed to high federal deficits for several years.

Politicians do not want to address the nation’s debt issues because that would require both tax increases and reductions in spending on entitlement programs, said David Cote, former CEO of Honeywell.

“It is just basic math that no one wants to address,” he said on the latest “Facing the Future” program.

“Clinton came into the White House acknowledging that the deficit was a problem and that it was necessary to be a little more disciplined about tax cuts and spending going forward in his administration,” said Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group who served as an economist in that administration.

“Most people recognize the fact that we have a major challenge in America today,” says Shai Akabas of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). “People are living longer and it is getting more and more difficult to save for retirement.”

Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group and former chief economist for The Concord Coalition, draws a parallel to personal finances in explaining the federal deficit.

“On a basic level,” she says, “the government borrows for the same reason an individual borrows: When they want to consume, or spend, more than their current income allows. The government deficit is just the difference between annual spending and the government’s annual revenue.”

“People are arguing about spending bills and they do involve a lot of money and they are important, but the stealth spending spree ... often goes overlooked,” says Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby.

The latest “Facing the Future”  introduced a semi-monthly segment entitled “Economist Mom,” with Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group and former chief economist for The Concord Coalition.

Lim wrote the Economist Mom blog when she was with Concord. The purpose of this radio and podcast segment is -- as it was with the blog --  to help make fiscal responsibility more tangible for everyday Americans.

Last week, The Concord Coalition was joined in New Hampshire by former Congressmen David Jolly (R-FL) and Patrick Murphy (D-FL).

Their visit included an interview on The Concord Coalition’s radio show and podcast “Facing the Future.”

In the most recent episode of “Facing the Future,” the show returned to its usual format after concluding its New Hampshire candidate interview series.

The Concord Coalition’s “Facing the Future” program is kicking off a series of interviews with Sept. 11 primary candidates in New Hampshire’s First and Second Congressional Districts.

The program originates on WKXL NH Talk Radio in Concord, New Hampshire. Republican and Democratic candidates will answer questions about their policy priorities and plans regarding federal fiscal policy and related issues.

“It is totally irresponsible that nobody is focusing on the debt, because it is our biggest problem,” said former Congressman Chris Shays.

Shays joined me on “Facing the Future” to discuss how being a candidate and a member of Congress have changed since he first took office in 1987. Shays, a Republican, represented Connecticut’s Fourth District until 2009.

The latest episode of Facing the Future is all about you, our listeners. The Concord Coalition’s Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Policy Director Josh Gordon answered questions submitted via e-mail and social media.

One listener submitted a question through Facebook concerning the different measurements of the national debt.

“The two main measures of the debt, in terms of dollar figures, are the ‘debt held by the public’ and what we call ‘the gross federal debt’,” said Gordon.

“When you are in power... you are hesitant to change the status quo because you don’t know what the consequences may be,” said former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass.

Andrew York, a Millennial financial planner in New Hampshire, fears the country is heading for “a big family fight” over federal budget priorities.

“You’re going to have the parents fighting the kids over who’s paying for what,” he predicts.

On last week’s episode of “Facing the Future”, I was joined by York and Alexandria Sosnowski,  who are both members of The Concord Coalition’s New Hampshire Advisory Board. Sosnowski, also a Millennial, is an attorney.

“The story we expected and the story we got was that the shortfall was becoming a more urgent situation,” said Charles Blahous, a former public trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds about the latest reports on the programs’ finances.

Congress, he added, “is running out of good options for dealing with it.”

“I think our issue is in outer space at the moment,” said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition.

The fiscal challenges facing our nation, and the lack of attention given them, seem unreal. Add in vast and expansive numbers, and you may have the beginnings of a work of science fiction.

“As we look at keeping discretionary spending under control we do want to be careful and maintain a fiscally responsible approach, but we don’t want to cut the heart out of things that are needed for investment or national security,” said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition.

On the latest "Facing the Future" episode, Bixby joined the program to discuss discretionary spending and entitlement programs.

“I remember sitting, looking at the national debt clock projected on the smart board and realizing how much of an issue this is,” said Brittany Brown, a top ten finalist in the national “Up to Us” competition to encourage fiscal responsibility.

“In only a few years we will be spending more servicing our past debt than we will investing in our future,” Marc Goldwein, senior vice president for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), said recently.

Former U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes discussed fiscal responsibility, the need for bipartisanship, and his House experiences in the latest episode of “Facing the Future.”

During the most recent episode of “Facing the Future,” I took some time to focus on the state-level impacts of federal budget policy. The Concord Coalition recently partnered with the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute to conduct a state/federal budget exercise with class members of “Leadership New Hampshire.”

Through taxes and a wide array of programs and benefits, the federal budget affects every person and community in the country. Yet many Americans -- including some who serve in Congress or work in federal agencies -- have only limited knowledge of current budget issues and the difficult long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States.

Former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey warned recently that U.S. health care spending is on an unsustainable path as it continues a long pattern of growing as a percentage of the economy.

Guests on “Facing the Future” last week lamented new projections of trillion-dollar federal deficits beginning in Fiscal 2020 and discussed how recent tax and spending decisions had contributed to the problem.

To remain competitive and successful in the global economy, the country needs smart workforce investment and immigration reform, said former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg during the ninth episode of “Facing the Future.”

“There are countless things we can do to eat our spinach,” said Concord Coalition National Field Director Phil Smith about fixing the nation’s fiscal problems. “Politicians have taken such a short-term view of things we have to go from lurching to leadership.”

The seventh program of “Facing the Future” covered a variety of topics, including the budget process, the 2020 presidential election and funding to combat the nation’s opioid crisis. I was joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Concord’s New Hampshire State Director Tyler Sweeney.

During the sixth broadcast of “Facing the Future,” Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and the newest addition to Concord’s team, Tyler Sweeney, discussed a wide range of topics, from immigration reform to civic engagement.

“Get in the game!” That was the message for young Americans that was communicated during the fifth broadcast of “Facing the Future.”

During the fourth broadcast of “Facing the Future,” we aired portions of The Concord Coalition’s recent event in Washington, “Fiscal Freefall: When Will it Stop?,” which featured Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich and former U.S. Rep. Tim Penny.

The conversation focused on the nation’s fiscal policies and how they are jeopardizing our future. Despite the nation’s challenges, however, the two former congressional colleagues expressed hope and discussed possible bipartisan solutions.

The third broadcast of “Facing the Future" focused on the need for stronger leadership in Congress on the nation’s fiscal challenges.

Former Senator Bob Kerrey and Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby discussed the nation’s difficult fiscal challenges this week in the inaugural broadcast of Concord’s radio program “Facing the Future.”