2013 Fiscal Summit

• Pete Peterson Chairman, Peter G. Peterson Foundation

• Tim Geithner Secretary of the Treasury
• Moderator
• David Wessel Economics editor and “Capital” columnist, The Wall Street Journal

As Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner is at the center of U.S. fiscal and economic policymaking, facing a range of issues, including strengthening the nation’s economic recovery, working with allies managing debt challenges abroad, and charting a path forward on America’s own efforts to restore fiscal sustainability. Secretary Geithner will provide the Obama Administration’s perspective on how we can best confront our long-term fiscal challenges and build a strong economy for the future.

• Video Presentation:
• Voices for Fiscal Action

• Michael A. Peterson President, Peter G. Peterson Foundation

• President Bill Clinton Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States
• Moderator
• Tom Brokaw Special Correspondent, NBC Nightly News

America hasn’t had a balanced budget since President Bill Clinton left office more than a decade ago. President Clinton brings a unique perspective on what it takes to work across party lines to enact fiscal and economic reform, and how to explain the realities and the consequences of fiscal policy decisions in a way that’s accessible to Americans. In conversation with Tom Brokaw, President Clinton will discuss the current economic situation and its impact at home and on the global economy.

Finding the Political Will to Act

• Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) Former Member, Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
• Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA) Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
• Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ph.D. Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center; Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
• Patricia Murphy Political Correspondent, The Daily Beast/Newsweek
• Moderator
• John F. Harris Editor in Chief and Co-Founder, Politico

There is broad agreement among Americans that our fiscal challenges must be addressed, and numerous solutions have been put on the table. Now policymakers need to find the political will to act – and the American people are essential to making it happen. How are Americans receiving and interpreting the varying messages about our fiscal challenges. Do the positions of elected leaders reflect the views of the public? And what will it take to bring the two parties together on a grand fiscal bargain, either before or after the election? Members of Congress and seasoned political observers will offer their insights into when and how elected leaders will find the will to solve our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.

• Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) Chairman, House Budget Committee
• Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Ranking Member, House Budget Committee
• Moderator
• Judy Woodruff Co-Anchor, PBS NewsHour

As chairman and ranking member of the House Budget Committee, Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), respectively, are at the center of the debate on fiscal reform. Each leader has presented a plan for fiscal action that represents the positions of their respective parties, but neither plan has become law. What are the obstacles to long-term reform in Congress? How can elected officials bridge the differences between parties and between chambers? And what are the prospects for agreement with the White House? This lunchtime conversation will feature two visions of America’s fiscal future and address the question of how we move forward toward a comprehensive bipartisan solution.

The Everyday Impact of Rising Debt and the Benefits of Fiscal Reform

• Senator Alan K. Simpson Co-Chair, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
• Jay S. Fishman Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Travelers Companies, Inc.
• Mayor Michael A. Nutter City of Philadelphia
• Dr. Carmen M. Reinhart Dennis Weatherstone Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics
• Moderator
• George Stephanopoulos Anchor, Good Morning America and This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Fiscal issues can sometimes seem esoteric and disconnected from the daily economic concerns that Americans face. But the reality is that the long-term fiscal policy decisions leaders make today will shape America’s economic future. Investment in both the public and private sectors could be severely curtailed if debt and interest payments keep rising, leading to fewer jobs, lower incomes, higher taxes, and declining living standards. On the other hand, getting our fiscal house in order could build confidence in the future direction of the American economy and ensure that critical investments can be made and important programs like Social Security and Medicare can be preserved and strengthened. How can policymakers clarify the connection between fiscal problems and economic realities, so that the American public knows what’s at stake when it comes to confronting our long-term fiscal challenges?

Facing the Fiscal Future: Remarks and Conversation with Speaker John Boehner

• Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Moderator
• Erin Burnett Anchor, Erin Burnett OutFront and Chief Business and Economics Correspondent, CNN

House Speaker John Boehner was at the center of negotiations with the White House on a grand fiscal bargain in the summer of 2011. Although they did not reach an agreement, the active discussions are a representation of what the parties need to do in a divided government to reach bipartisan fiscal compromise. This year, facing a potentially ground-shifting election and a confluence of critical fiscal policy deadlines at the end of the year, Speaker Boehner will once again be a pivotal player in the effort to forge consensus across party lines and at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. In remarks followed by an interview, Speaker Boehner will offer Congressional Republicans’ views on fiscal reform and discuss whether lawmakers are ready, willing, and able to implement solutions.

Throughout the day we will view brief vignettes featuring “Voices from America” exploring the impact our fiscal challenges have on citizens across the country and their calls for action.