FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Participants in the forum, "Post-Election: The Fiscal Cliff and Beyond," include Former Federal Reserve Chairs Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan, National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Peter Roskam & Fix The Debt Campaign Co-Founders Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles
WASHINGTON D.C. — As President Obama and Congressional leaders meet at the White House to discuss the impending fiscal cliff, the Peterson Foundation convened some of the country's most influential voices on fiscal and economic issues at a forum in Washington D.C.: Post-Election: The Fiscal Cliff and Beyond.
Featuring conversation and insight from Congressional leaders, two former Federal Reserve Chairmen and other leading policymakers, the forum focused on how to address the fiscal cliff in the context of America’s long-term fiscal and economic challenges. It also explored potential solutions developed by five ideologically diverse organizations as part of the Foundation’s Solutions Initiative.
"This is a critical moment for our nation," said Foundation Chairman, Pete Peterson. "The fiscal cliff is an opportunity for President Obama and Congressional leaders to bring the nation together with a bipartisan plan that can be implemented gradually, as the economy recovers. Passing such a plan would not only build confidence and boost the current recovery, but also put the nation on a sustainable fiscal path for the long term."
Solutions Initiative II
The Peterson Foundation provided grants to six leading think tanks in 2011 to develop comprehensive proposals to address the nation's long-term fiscal challenges. Their plans were presented at the Peterson Foundation's 2011 Fiscal Summit. At today's event, five organizations will present and discuss updated long-term budget plans as part of the second phase of the Solutions Initiative, including specific strategies for dealing with the fiscal cliff.
Plans by the American Action Forum, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Center for American Progress, the Economic Policy Institute and The Heritage Foundation, while varying significantly in specific recommendations, were unanimous in their assessment that we must improve the nation's long-term fiscal path, and all of the plans made changes to avoid the policies implemented under the fiscal cliff.
To read a summary of the different plans, and access the full plans from each organization, click here.
Forum participants include:
Solutions Initiative II panel participants:
Event moderators include:
Click here for full biographies of all participants in Post-Election: The Fiscal Cliff and Beyond.
Click here to watch a live stream of the forum. You can also watch the live stream on Facebook.
About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization established by Pete Peterson — businessman, philanthropist, and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The Foundation is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key long-term fiscal challenges threatening America's future and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find and implement sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results. To learn more, please visit www.PGPF.org.