The Federal Budget Challenge: Policy, Politics, and the Impact of America’s Fiscal Choices

Think balancing the federal budget is hard? Consider what happens when we don’t. 

The U.S. recently crossed the $40 trillion debt threshold. Rising health care costs, Social Security shortfalls, and historically high deficits are putting increasing pressure on America’s fiscal future. These challenges go far beyond spreadsheets and budget projections. They affect the affordability of health care, the future of Social Security, economic opportunity, and the ability of the next generation to pursue their own version of the American dream. We can solve these problems, but not by ignoring them.  

Join the Rollins PASE Center, The Concord Coalition, and Concord Action for an engaging conversation about policy, politics, and the real-world consequences of America’s fiscal choices. Former Member of Congress Carolyn Bourdeaux, former Comptroller General of the United States David Walker, and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy Kenneth Thorpe will explore why health care costs continue to rise, what happens as Social Security approaches insolvency and automatic benefit cuts, and how persistent federal deficits and a growing national debt could shape the economy young Americans inherit.

For Rollins students interested in public health, government, advocacy, economics, consulting, or civic leadership, this panel offers a timely look at how major fiscal and policy decisions are made—and what those decisions mean for your future.