US 2050 Spring Conference

By 2050, the US will be very different than it is today. Adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 18, and our population will be much more racially and ethnically diverse, the young much more so than the old. With those changing demographics as a backdrop, the US 2050 project examines the socioeconomic developments and fiscal choices we make today that will determine standards of living decades from now.

On March 22, scholars and policy experts convened in Washington, D.C., to engage in conversation anchored by the insights and conclusions from the project’s 31 commissioned papers, which touch on a wide variety of topics related to our nation’s future. Check back soon for videos from the event.

US 2050 Spring Conference Video

US 2050 Conference Agenda

March 22, 2019 | Liaison, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

*Program subject to change
9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
9:30 a.m. 9:45 a.m. Welcome: Why US 2050?
Michael A. Peterson, Chairman and CEO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation
John Irons, Director, Future of Work(ers), Ford Foundation
9:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Opening Plenary Panel: Key Insights about the Future from Today's Demographic and Socioeconomic Trends
David Wessel, Hutchins Center for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, and Brookings Institution, Moderator
William H. Frey, Brookings Institution, Download Presentation
Philip Jefferson, Swarthmore College
Kim Parker, The Pew Research Center, Download Presentation
10:45 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Panels)

Breakout 1: Our Changing Population: Fertility, Immigration, Aging and Diversity
Marta Tienda, Princeton University, Panel Leader
Jason Anastasopoulos, University of Georgia, Download Presentation
Alicia Munnell, Center for Retirement Research, Download Presentation
Breakout 2: Individual Circumstances and Life Choices: Income, Education, and Place
Bradley Hardy, American University, Panel Leader
Erica Greenberg, Urban Institute, Download Presentation
Paul Ong, UCLA
12:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Lunch
Plenary PanelPolicymakers, Politics and Political Institutions
Andra Gillespie, Emory University, Moderator
Sarah Bryner, Center for Responsive Politics, Download Presentation
Jennifer Sciubba, Rhodes College, Download Presentation
Daniel Stid, Hewlett Foundation, Download Presentation
1:30 p.m. 1:45 p.m. Break
1:45 p.m. 2:45 p.m.

Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Panels)

Breakout 3: Workers and Jobs Meet the Future
Michael Strain, American Enterprise Institute, Panel Leader
Chandra Childers, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Michael Chui, McKinsey Global Institute
Breakout 4: Financial Security and Aging: Financing Retirement and Health Care
Louise Sheiner, Hutchins Center for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Brookings Institution, Panel Leader
William Gale, Brookings Institution, Download Presentation
Annamaria Lusardi, Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, The George Washington University, Download Presentation
2:45 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. 3:15 p.m. Closing Remarks

This event meets the basic requirements of a "widely attended event" as outlined by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics and U.S. Senate Committee on Ethics.

Expert Views: Fiscal Commission

We asked experts with diverse views from across the political spectrum to share their perspectives.

National Debt Clock

See the latest numbers and learn more about the causes of our high and rising debt.