Brookings to Hold Briefing Jan. 13: 'Restoring Fiscal Sanity: How to Balance the Budget'

1/7/2004

From: Brookings Office of Communications, 202-797-6105 or communications@brookings.edu; http://www.brookings.edu

News Advisory:

WHAT:

Brookings Briefing: "Restoring Fiscal Sanity: How to Balance the Budget"

WHEN:

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Falk Auditorium, The Brookings Institution; 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

WHO:

-- Introduction: STROBE TALBOTT, president, The Brookings Institution

Panel 1:

-- ALICE M. RIVLIN, senior fellow and director, Greater Washington Research Program, Brookings

-- ISABEL V. SAWHILL, vice president and director, Economic Studies Program, Brookings

Panel 2:

-- DAN L. CRIPPEN, former director, Congressional Budget Office

-- JOHN EDWARD PORTER, partner, Hogan & Hartson, LLP

-- ROBERT E. RUBIN, director and chairman of the Executive Committee, Citigroup

-- ROBERT D. REISCHAUER, president, Urban Institute

Panel 3:

-- LAEL BRAINARD, senior fellow, Economic and Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings; The New Century Chair

-- WILLIAM G. GALE, senior fellow and deputy director, Economic Studies, Brookings; co-director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

-- RON HASKINS, senior fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings

-- PETER R. ORSZAG, Joseph A. Pechman senior fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings

-- CHARLES L. SCHULTZE, senior fellow emeritus, Economic Studies, Brookings

America will face persistent, annual deficits of over half a trillion dollars over the next decade. If current policies continue, these deficits will slow economic growth, reduce household incomes, and impose enormous burdens on the next generation. To address the problem, a team of Brookings experts- several of whom have served as White House Office of Management and Budget directors-has been working on possible solutions.

On Jan. 13, the group will release a new report on why deficits matter and what might be done about them. The report, which is being released three weeks before the president's budget is due to Congress, provides a clear-eyed assessment of the federal budget outlook for the next ten years and offers three ways to balance the budget.

Along with brief presentations by the Brookings authors, an independent, expert panel will address the budget problem and the report's proposals.

RSVP: Please call the Brookings Office of Communications, 202-797-6105, email communications@brookings.edu or visit http://www.brookings.edu/comm/events/20040113.htm.