Presidential commission hears testimony and ideas from 75 groups and individuals

July 1, 2010 (All day)

WASHINGTON – The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, the bi-partisan commission charged with identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation of the federal budget in the medium term and to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability, held a public forum on Wednesday, June 30 and heard from 75 different groups, think tanks, policy experts and individual citizens.“We were heartened by the turnout of the young, the old, the everyday folks, people from think tanks, advocates and people from across the spectrum who came to speak to us. It shows us that the American people truly care about our mission and our country. This is exactly what we’re looking for: ideas on how we can accomplish the goals the president has laid out for us,” said Co-Chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles.

The 18- member National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform will make recommendations to Congress by December 1, 2010 to put the budget in primary balance so that all operations and programs for the federal government are paid for (achieving deficits of about 3 percent of GDP) by 2015 and to meaningfully improve the long-term fiscal outlook. For more information, please visit: www.fiscalcommission.gov

Below is a list of all 75 groups and individuals that testified:

  • AFL-CIO
  • ASCFME
  • Alliance for Retired Americans
  • America Speaks
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Association of University Women
  • Americans for Tax Reform
  • Association of American Universities
  • Bread for the World
  • Business Coalition for Fair Competition
  • Business Roundtable
  • California Retired Teachers Association
  • Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Cato Institute
  • Center for American Progress
  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
  • Charles Lyle
  • Citizens for Tax Justice
  • Coalition for Health Funding
  • Coalition on Human Needs
  • Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
  • Committee on Education Funding
  • Concerned Youth of America
  • Concord Coalition
  • Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities
  • Democratic Leadership Council
  • Economic Policy Institute
  • Financial Services Forum
  • Fiscal Policy Institute
  • Frank Restly
  • Hanover Investment Group
  • Healthcare NOW
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Immigration Policy Center
  • Institute for America’s Future
  • Institute for Women’s Policy Research
  • Joseph Guggenheim
  • Mercatus Center at George Mason University
  • Migration Policy Institute
  • Military Officers Association of America
  • National Academy of Social insurance
  • National Active and Retired Federal Employees
  • National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
  • National Council of Women’s Organizations
  • National Disability Institute and Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University
  • National Education Association
  • National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
  • National Immigration Forum
  • National Nurses United
  • OMB Watch
  • Older Women’s League
  • Paralyzed Veterans of America
  • Peter G. Peterson Foundation
  • Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Physicians for a National Health Program
  • Progressive Policy Institute
  • Prosperity Agenda
  • Roosevelt Institute at American University
  • Service Employees International Union
  • Small Business Legislative Council
  • Social Security Works
  • Speak Out America Now
  • Stephen Moorhead
  • Third Way
  • U.S. Public Interest Research Group
  • United Church of Christ
  • Virginia P Reno
  • Voices for America’s Children
  • Wider Opportunities for Women
  • William McClellan
  • Women Impacting Public Policy
  • Women’s Action for New Directions
  • Yavapai Regional Capital
  • Young Americans for Federal Debt Awareness
  • Zero to Three