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Former Senators Sam Nunn (D-GA), Pete Domenici, (R-NM), Warren Rudman (R-NH), and Evan Bayh (D-IN) convened a bipartisan group of former Senators and Representatives to come together for four recent 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.

The first session looked at America’s long-term fiscal challenges, providing an overview of the financial and international implications of the nation’s fiscal outlook.

The speakers were former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin and via satellite former Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State James A. Baker.

9:00 am - 9:30 am   Registration

9:30 am Welcome and Introductory Remarks

10:30 am  Remarks by Secretary Baker and Secretary Rubin

11:30 am Adjourn 

Each of the four forums resembled a Congressional hearing, with high-level former U.S. government officials providing remarks before a panel of former elected representatives.  

The other three programs focused on the national security implications of the debt, bipartisan plans for addressing the problem, pro-growth tax reform, and the imperative of entitlement and health care cost control.  Strengthening of America—Our Children’s Future, is coordinating with the Campaign to Fix the Debt, the Comeback America Initiative, and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s ongoing efforts to call attention to the fiscal challenges threatening America’s future. 

The Steering Committee for Strengthening of America includes 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), 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), Bennett Johnston (D-LA), 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), Tom Tauke (R-IA), and Tim Wirth (D-CO). 

The effort is a joint project of The Concord Coalition, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the American Business Conference, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.