How Would You Balance the Federal Budget? A Principles and Priorities Exercise

Understand the complexities of balancing the federal budget and the difficult policy choices lawmakers face in this interactive workshop led by staff from the non-partisan Concord Coalition. This 2-hour event kicks off with a short overview of federal spending, followed by the 90-minute Principles and Priorities exercise. Working in small groups, participants will review current federal spending priorities, tax policy and entitlement reform options and apply their own principles and negotiating skills to put forward a consensus-based deficit reduction plan. It’s an eye-opening experience designed to educate voters on the political will and compromise required to address our spiraling national debt. David Oman, Senior Advisor to the Concord Coalition and former Chief of Staff for Governors Robert Ray and Terry Branstad, will facilitate the workshop. The Concord Coalition is a bipartisan national organization that for 25 years has worked to encourage a balanced federal budget.