How to Fix Social Security

Social Security, the single largest government program, faces hundreds of billions of dollars in annual deficits, and changes will have to be made to the program. While the Presidential candidates are not yet focusing on Social Security reform, many in Congress are. A number of plans have been offered this year. The recent report by the Congressional Budget Office, "The Outlook for Social Security," provides a new framework for comparing different approaches to reform.

Douglas Holtz Eakin, the Director of the Congressional Budge Office, shared his perspective, and was then followed by advocates of different approaches of reform for a discussion and comparison of the different ideas drawing attention in Congress.

Participants

• Douglas Holtz-Eakin
  Director, Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Director, Congressional Budget Office and Chief Economist, White House Council of Economic Advisors


• Kim Hildred
  Subcommittee on Social Security, House Committee on Ways and Means


• Ed Lorenzen
  Executive Director, Centrists.org


• Jen Olson
  Office of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)


• Peter Orszag
  Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution


• Michael Tanner
  Cato Institute


• Maya MacGuineas
  President, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget & Director, Fiscal Policy Program


• Henry Aaron
  Bruce and Virginia MacLaury Chair and Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings Institution