Facing the Future

About the show

Latest episodes

• Debating Social Security's Future

  September 30, 2026 · 45 min

  This week on Facing the Future, we discuss two very different visions of how to keep Social Security solvent over the long-term without a bailout from the U.S. Treasury. Wendell Primus of the Brookings Institution and Romina Boccia of the…

• Is There a Fiscal Doomsday?

  September 23, 2026 · 44 min

  This week on Facing the Future, we hear from a prominent group of former elected officials and economists who describe what a debt-induced fiscal crisis would look like in the United States, what could trigger such an event and how to…

• Dividend Checks With No Dividend

  September 16, 2026 · 45 min

  This week on Facing the Future, we discussed President Trump's promise of $5,000 checks, tariff income, war spending and the economy with Jim Capretta, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

• The Bond Market Is Sending A Warning On Debt

  September 9, 2026 · 45 min

  This week on Facing the Future, Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, explains why the cost of borrowing is going up and the implications of higher interest rates for families, businesses and the federal budget. She…

• Walking on a Fragile Fiscal Cliff

  August 26, 2026 · 44 min

  This week on Facing the Future, former CBO director Doug Elmendorf discusses the $40 trillion debt and why it matters now, not just in the future. He also gives his assessment of what artificial intelligence could mean for the economy and…

• Social Security Needs Reform, Not A Bailout

  August 20, 2026 · 45 min

  The week on Facing the Future, former Public Trustee of Social Security Dr. Charles Blahous describes why the program is in need of reform as it approaches trust fund insolvency in 2032. He also looks at the generational impact of various…

• Congress Needs To Do Its Job

  August 12, 2026 · 45 min

  This week on Facing the Future, we discuss why Congress never does a budget and why that matters for the Constitutional process, the growth of the debt and the fate of younger generations. Our guest is Thomas Kahn, Director of the Center…

• Mark Zandi on the Economy and Corrosive Debt

  August 5, 2026 · 45 min

  This week on Facing the Future, Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics, examines the state of the economy, the effect of artificial intelligence and what a debt-induced crisis might look like.