Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget

Part I: Budgeting for a Modern Military (February 22, 2013)
Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation, and Revenues (February 26, 2013)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Soon after President Obama delivers his budget for fiscal year 2014, The Hamilton Project at Brookings will host a two-part budget series on February 22 and February 26 in Washington, DC to inject 15 specific, independent ideas into long-standing debates over national security spending, tax reform, our nation's social safety net, and potential sources of new revenues. 

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130206/DC54767)

Part I: Budgeting for a Modern Military 
Friday, February 22, 2013, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036

As a large contributor to the nation's debt, rising military spending continues to be a heated focus of budget talks. On February 22, The Hamilton Project will release new proposals on ways to create greater efficiency in the U.S. defense budget while maintaining our national security. 

Retired four-star Admiral Gary Roughead, a former chief of Naval Operations, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Cindy Williams, a former assistant director of the Congressional Budget Office, will offer two new approaches to putting defense spending on a sustainable path while reflecting the realities of our modern military. The authors will be joined by former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch, former Undersecretary for Defense Michele Flournoy, and former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) for a roundtable discussion on the new proposals, and a broader discussion around the dynamics of ongoing defense budget negotiations. 

For the full agenda and to register for the event, click here.

Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation, and Revenues 
Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 16^th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001

The Hamilton Project asked experts from a variety of backgrounds—the policy world, academia, and the private sector—and from both sides of the political aisle, to develop fresh ideas to address specific areas of the budget deficit while also taking into account impacts to the economy at large.

On February 26, this diverse group of experts from around the country will convene at a forum in DC to present the resulting 13 proposals —ranging from Jonathan Gruber on a progressive cost-sharing structure for Medicare to Jeff Liebman on disability insurance reform and Alan Viard on replacing the mortgage interest deduction with a refundable credit to Adele Morris on a carbon tax. To provide context for the proposals, three former Congressional Budget Office directors—Robert Reischauer, Alice Rivlin and Donald Marron will open the forum with a discussion of the current budget environment.

For the full agenda and to register for the event, click here.

For updates on the events, follow @hamiltonproj and join the conversation using #rethinkthebudget.

SOURCE The Hamilton Project at Brookings