Bixby, Walker Say Candidates Need Debt Solutions

On the verge of presidential primary voting in Georgia and other Super Tuesday states, former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker and Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby last week urged an Atlanta audience to carefully assess candidates’ plans to deal with the nation’s growing debt.

Bixby noted that the annual deficit is projected to begin rising again this year and to continue going up in every subsequent year, reaching $1 trillion again by 2022. The debt is still projected to grow to unsustainable levels, he said, making this an important issue for all candidates to address, regardless of party affiliation.  

Walker emphasized that consensus solutions are possible. He suggested that any proposed fiscal reforms should be pro-growth, socially equitable, culturally acceptable, mathematically accurate, politically feasible and able to gain meaningful bipartisan support.

The two men spoke last Tuesday at the Atlanta Kiwanis Club. Based on their extensive travels around the country, both said they think voters are prepared to make hard budgetary choices if they understand the stakes for future generations and are honestly confronted with the trade-offs of realistic policy options.

External links:
Transforming Federal Financial Reporting and Auditing (Walker in Government Executive)