Committee for Economic Development

Reasoned solutions in the nation’s interest

Fiscal Health

Left unaddressed, the nation's tax and spending policies will further encourage U.S. businesses to move their capital and create jobs overseas. CED Members urge lawmakers to join together on a bipartisan basis to simplify the tax code and adopt pro-growth regulations that neither impede nor favor any particular sector.

Robust economic growth also depends on reducing the national debt. If policymakers fail to enact a long-term plan, the proliferating debt will wreak havoc across sectors and generations, weakening the American Dream for the young and retirement programs for the elderly. Among CED's recommendations is SaveGo, a bipartisan blueprint that sets a maximum level of the debt burden as a percentage of the GDP, and requires Congress to operate within those constraints.

Debt Reduction Toolkit

The Debt Reduction Toolkit permits users to generate different scenarios to achieve a 70 percent ratio of debt to GDP by adjusting the tax rate and outlay costs. The toolkit accompanies CED's Solutions Brief entitled Debt Matters: A Road Map for Reducing the Outsized US Debt Burden, published on February 9, 2023, which recommended a shift to a 70 percent ratio as a recognized stable level for advanced economies that is roughly in between the current ratio and the ratio before the 2008 financial crisis.

NEW (August 2024 Update): The toolkit incorporates the Congressional Budget Office’s latest budget projections from June 2024.

Saving Social Security

This Solutions Brief examines the importance of Social Security in retirement planning, its impact on the federal budget, and options for reforming the program.

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Saving Social Security

Without action, Social Security's Trust Fund will be depleted by 2033, resulting in automatic 23% benefit cuts.