The Concord Coalition is a political

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, formed in 1992. A

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...

organization, it was founded by U.S. Senator Warren Rudman, former

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

Peter George Peterson, and U.S. Senator

Paul Tsongas Paul Efthemios Tsongas ( ; February 14, 1941 – January 18, 1997) was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1985 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1 ...

. The Concord Coalition's advocacy centers on ending

deficit spending Within the budgetary process, deficit spending is the amount by which spending exceeds revenue over a particular period of time, also called simply deficit, or budget deficit, the opposite of budget surplus. The term may be applied to the budg ...

and promoting a

balanced budget A balanced budget (particularly that of a government) is a budget in which revenues are equal to expenditures. Thus, neither a budget deficit nor a budget surplus exists (the accounts "balance"). More generally, it is a budget that has no budge ...

in the U.S. federal government. The group's mission statement is to educate "the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America's unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth." Former Senator Bob Kerrey was named a co-chair of the Concord Coalition in January 2002. Robert L. Bixby has been the executive director of the Concord Coalition since 1999.

Activities

Since 2006, the Concord Coalition has organized the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour, visiting cities to message to citizens and elected officials about the country's debt and fiscal future. Participants in the tour include representatives from The

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

, the Committee for Economic Development, the

Progressive Policy Institute The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a public policy think tank in the United States. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) founded it in 1989. ''The Washington Post'' has described the ...

, and the

American Enterprise Institute The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, known simply as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is a center-right think tank based in Washington, D.C., that researches government, politics, economics, and social welfare ...

. Former Comptroller General of the United States David M. Walker serves as an advisor to the tour and participates in its public events. The group's executive director, Robert Bixby, has noted that the federal deficit "is not some abstract issue in Washington" and that it "has real-world consequences for what's going to happen in state and local governments." The Coalition's efforts to raise public awareness, with Bixby touring across the nation, plays a key role in the 2008

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

'' I.O.U.S.A.''

Board of directors

*Co-chairman – Warren Rudman *Co-chairman – Bob Kerrey *Co-chairman –

(1941–1997) *President – Peter G. Peterson *Secretary-Treasurer/Budget Chairman – Charles A. Bowsher *Finance Chairman – Eugene M. Freedman *Executive Director – Robert L. Bixby

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Concord Coalition Official websitePeter G. Peterson FoundationConcord Coalition on FacebookConcord Coalition on Twitter
1992 establishments in the United States Economic advocacy groups in the United States Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1992

Activities

Board of directors

See also

References

External links