A Budgeting for National Priorities Event

The federal deficit, already huge by any standard, is predicted to remain above $1 trillion throughout the next decade and beyond. Many experts estimate that by 2020, the nation's debt/GDP ratio will exceed 90 percent, a level widely perceived to increase the risk of a catastrophic financial event. Neither Congress nor the last two administrations have proposed serious plans to reduce the long-term deficit, although President Obama has appointed a bipartisan commission to make recommendations on how the deficit can be reduced.

On July 22, Brookings will host Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), ranking member of the House Budget Committee, who has proposed what he calls "A Roadmap for America's Future." Ryan, who is also a member of the president's deficit commission, will summarize his plan and answer questions. His talk will be followed by comments from budget experts representing diverse views on the changes in spending and taxes required to reduce the deficit.

After the presentations, panelists will take questions from the audience.

Welcome and Introduction

Moderator: Ron Haskins

Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Center on Children & Families

The Brookings Institution

Keynote Speaker

The Honorable Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.)

Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives

Panel

Stuart Butler

Vice President, Domestic & Economic Policy Studies

The Heritage Foundation

Stephen Moore

Senior Economics Writer

The Wall Street Journal

Jonathan Rauch

Guest Scholar, The Brookings Institution

Senior Writer and Columnist, The National Journal

Diane Lim Rogers

Chief Economist, The Concord Coalition

Austin Smythe

Staff Director to Rep. Paul Ryan

U.S. House of Representatives

To RSVP for this event, please call the Office of Communications at 202.797.6105 or click here.