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Facing the Future

Facing the Future

Hosted by The Concord Coalition

Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN

About the show

How the nation’s fiscal and economic challenges, and possible solutions, impact current and future generations.

Listen to episodes

60 recent
October 21, 2026Episode 44544 min

Is Congress Up To The Fiscal Challenge?

This week on Facing the Future, Dr. Phillip Joyce of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy describes the substantive, procedural and Constitutional fiscal challenges that Congress has repeatedly kicked down the road.

October 14, 2026Episode 44444 min

Is France a Fiscal Warning for the U.S.?

This week on Facing the Future, former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum, explains why problems in France's bond market carry a warning for the U.S. He also argues that the Federal Reserve should keep raising interest rates to fight inflation.

October 7, 2026Episode 44344 min

Debt is an Affordability Issue

This week on Facing the Future, Ben Ritz of the Progressive Policy Institute explains why the rising national debt has become a big cost-of-living problem.

September 30, 2026Episode 44244 min

Debating Social Security's Future

This week on Facing the Future, we discuss two very different visions of how to keep Social Security solvent over the long-term without a bailout from the U.S. Treasury. Wendell Primus of the Brookings Institution and Romina Boccia of the Cato Institute debate the options.

September 23, 2026Episode 44144 min

Is There a Fiscal Doomsday?

This week on Facing the Future, we hear from a prominent group of former elected officials and economists who describe what a debt-induced fiscal crisis would look like in the United States, what could trigger such an event and how to avoid one.

September 16, 2026Episode 44044 min

Dividend Checks With No Dividend

This week on Facing the Future, we discussed President Trump's promise of $5,000 checks, tariff income, war spending and the economy with Jim Capretta, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

September 9, 2026Episode 43944 min

The Bond Market Is Sending A Warning On Debt

This week on Facing the Future, Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, explains why the cost of borrowing is going up and the implications of higher interest rates for families, businesses and the federal budget. She also discusses inflation, tariffs and Social Security reform.

August 26, 2026Episode 43844 min

Walking on a Fragile Fiscal Cliff

This week on Facing the Future, former CBO director Doug Elmendorf discusses the $40 trillion debt and why it matters now, not just in the future. He also gives his assessment of what artificial intelligence could mean for the economy and the federal budget.

August 20, 2026Episode 43744 min

Social Security Needs Reform, Not A Bailout

The week on Facing the Future, former Public Trustee of Social Security Dr. Charles Blahous describes why the program is in need of reform as it approaches trust fund insolvency in 2032. He also looks at the generational impact of various reform options.

August 12, 2026Episode 43644 min

Congress Needs To Do Its Job

This week on Facing the Future, we discuss why Congress never does a budget and why that matters for the Constitutional process, the growth of the debt and the fate of younger generations. Our guest is Thomas Kahn, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University.

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