The Concord Coalition Releases 'Key Questions' for Voters to Ask Candidates for the 2024 Election

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Concord Coalition today released its list of 12 key questions about our nation's fiscal future that voters should ask candidates in the 2024 election cycle. Topics include the spiraling national debt; structural annual deficits; the fiscal future of Social Security and Medicare; expiring tax cuts; the impact of climate change on the economy; demographics; and budget reform.

With the federal budget deficit growing again and the nation's debt still on an unsustainable long-term path, "voters should expect candidates in the 2024 elections to explain how they intend to deal with the huge challenges that ahead," Concord says, "A 'do nothing' plan would jeopardize our economy, imperil the solvency of Social Security and Medicare trust funds, undermine our position of global leadership, and unfairly burden future generations with the cost of servicing the spiraling debt." 

"Reducing the projected debt should be among the top priorities for any elected official. So how do the candidates for federal office propose to improve our nation's fiscal future? Voters have a right—and a responsibility—to find out," says The Concord Coalition.

To help voters get answers beyond the traditional campaign posturing, The Concord Coalition has prepared a list of questions designed to elicit specific answers from candidates:

• The national debt is already near an all-time high relative to the size of the economy and is projected to nearly double over the next 30 years. Do you think this is a problem and if so, what is your plan to put the budget on a more sustainable trajectory?
• Federal budget deficits are projected to average $2 trillion over the next 10 years. Where does deficit reduction fit within your policy priorities?
• The Social Security trust fund is projected to become insolvent within the next 10 years. At that point, beneficiaries can expect to receive approximately 75 percent of scheduled benefits. What is your plan to maintain Social Security solvency?
• How should the government curb the growth of its healthcare spending programs while maintaining or improving the quality of care?
• Extending the 2017 tax cuts for individuals and small businesses will cost approximately $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Do you support extending those tax cuts? If so, how would you offset the cost?
• One way the federal government spends money is through the tax code. Deductions, exclusions, exemptions, credits and other tax breaks known as "tax expenditures" total roughly $1.7 trillion every year. Would you support reducing tax expenditures as a way to reduce the deficit and make the tax code more efficient?
• Should domestic discretionary spending be reduced further, kept the same, or increased? Would you exclude defense spending from any future discretionary cuts?
• Do you think it is possible to balance the budget simply by growing the economy?
• Labor force expansion is a key component of future economic growth, yet demographers predict that the U.S. labor force will grow only one-third as fast over the next decade. What policies do you embrace as potential pathways to a more robust labor force?
• It has become increasingly obvious that climate change is a budget and economic issue, while also presenting a serious threat to young voters and future generations. What methods, if any, do you support to reduce the harmful effects of climate change on the federal budget?
• Candidates for office often cite "eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse" as an essential first step in reducing the deficit, but one lawmaker's wasteful spending is another lawmaker's essential program. Are there federal programs that benefit your own constituents you would consider cutting or eliminating to help reduce spending?
• If you were asked to serve on a fiscal commission in the next Congress with the only requirement that all policy options must be on the table, including tax increases, spending cuts, and entitlement reform, would you agree to participate?

The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. Since 1992, Concord has worked to educate the public about the causes and consequences of the federal deficit and debt, and to develop realistic solutions for sustainable budgets. For more fiscal news and analysis, visit concordcoalition.org and follow us on Facebook @ConcordCoalition and on Twitter: @ConcordC

SOURCE The Concord Coalition