Former U.S. senators Sam Nunn (D-GA), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Warren Rudman (R-NH), and Evan Bayh (D-IN) have convened a bipartisan group to raise public consciousness of the country’s growing and unsustainable debt
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Former U.S. senators Sam Nunn (D-GA), Pete Domenici (R-NM), Warren Rudman (R-NH), and Evan Bayh (D-IN) have convened a bipartisan group of former senators and representatives to come together for four forums to raise public consciousness of the country’s growing and unsustainable debt. They are calling their effort, Strengthening of America—Our Children’s Future.
“We believe that while the worst effects of the national debt are probably long term, there is an urgency to this issue that no longer allows us to kick the can down the road,” said the four former senators in a joint statement.
“Neither party seems willing to address this issue with either common sense or simple arithmetic. There are current members of both parties, however, who understand the stakes and who are willing to work together by putting the country first. We hope to support, strengthen, and help add to that group.”
Building a better ‘fiscal cliff’
By Pete Domenici and Sam Nunn From the Washington Post Published: October 26
Once Election Day passes, attention will quickly turn to whether and how to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”
Neither presidential candidate has stepped up to fully embrace the Simpson-Bowles commission’s recommendations. Neither has explicitly rejected them, either. That’s promising because the panel offered a thoughtful, comprehensive plan to stabilize the federal debt over the next decade. A parallel effort by the Bipartisan Policy Center, led by one of us and Alice Rivlin, came to similar conclusions. Read More
The effort is a joint project of the following organizations:
Strengthening of America—Our Children’s Future, is also working closely and coordinating with the Campaign to Fix the Debt (see letter of support), the Comeback America Initiative, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s ongoing efforts to call attention to the fiscal challenges threatening America’s future.
America’s Long-Term Fiscal Challenge
FeaturingThe National Security Implications of the Debt and Bipartisan Plans for Addressing the Problem
Lawrence H. Summers
Former Director of the U.S. National Economic Council,
Former U.S. Secretary of Treasury
Dr. Martin Feldstein
Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers,
Former President of the National Bureau of Economic Research
David M. Cote
Chairman and CEO of Honeywell
Alfred P. West
Chairman of American Business Conference,
CEO of SEI
Navin Thukkaram
COO of Qwiki, Inc.
The Imperative of Entitlement and Health Care Cost Control
William H. Frist (R-TN)
Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
Donna Shalala
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
John B. Taylor
Former U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs
Alice Rivlin
Former Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget
The Steering Committee for Strengthening of America includes the following former members of Congress: Howard Baker (R-TN), Bob Bennett (R-UT), David Boren (D-OK), Bill Brock (R-TN), Richard Bryan (D-NV), Mike Castle (R-DE), Jack Danforth (R-MO), Tom Davis (R-VA), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Mickey Edwards (R-OK), Daniel Evans (R-WA), Victor Fazio (D-CA), Bill Frenzel (R-MN), Dan Glickman (D-KS), Slade Gorton (R-WA), Bob Graham (D-FL), William Gray (D-PA), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Jane Harman (D-CA), J. Bennett Johnston (D-LA), James Jones (D-OK), Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), David McCurdy (D-OK), Jim Nussle (R-IA), Tim Penny (D-MN), Chuck Robb (D-VA), Tim Roemer (D-IN), Alan Simpson (R-WY), Charlie Stenholm (D-TX), John Tanner (D-TN), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Tom Tauke (R-IA), John Vincent "Vin" Weber (R-MN), and Tim Wirth (D-CO).
On Twitter @USAStronger