2017 Annual Dinner: Celebrating our Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility

On Tuesday, September 12, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted its 2017 Annual Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. The evening began with a reception overlooking the Capitol, where we welcomed over 200 people to celebrate fiscal responsibility and working to fix the debt. Included were many Members of Congress, as well as several media organizations, congressional and agency staff, policy experts, business leaders, and other DC stakeholders. At the reception we recognized the Campaign to Fix the Debt's 2016 Fiscal Heroes, and guests had the opportunity to talk with budget experts while mingling. To close the reception, CRFB president Maya MacGuineas gave remarks on all the work that the organization has been doing to both educate the public and impact the current debates surrounding the budget.

Guests then enjoyed dinner and a program emceed by former Congressman and CRFB Co-Chair Tim Penny. Highlights included a touching tribute to our former Co-Chair Bill Frenzel – who was a tireless advocate for fiscal responsibility and former Ranking Member on the House Budget Committee.

The program also featured John Dickerson, host of CBS News’s Face the Nation, engaging with former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, another CRFB Co-Chair, in a great discussion about the state of politics, fiscal policy, and national security. The evening concluded with a dessert reception where people were able to speak directly with the program participants.

“It’s easy to kind of sit back and not have to make tough decisions about raising taxes or cutting benefits or doing some of the tough things that are involved in politics. But just wait for crisis.”     – Secretary Leon Panetta

“You can’t just pull a number out of a hat as part of the budget process and say we’re going to grow at 4%, so I’m grateful for the work being done by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget " – Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

"We didn’t get to be $20 trillion in debt without a whole lot of Republicans and a whole lot of Democrats voting for it." – Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

"The best proposal that I have seen on the debt ceiling is what Maya published within the last couple of days...If you are going to spend more than we have…then you ought to be raising the debt ceiling simultaneously with that spending bill." – Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA)

"The tax code is 9 times bigger than the Bible, but without the good stories." – Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)

Earlier in the day, CRFB hosted a private economic roundtable discussion with many Members of Congress and policy experts on “Building a Comprehensive Growth Plan.” The discussion was moderated by Bret Baier, Fox News chief political anchor and host of Special Report with Bret Baier, and touched on many of the most important issues surrounding growth and responsible fiscal policy. We will be producing another piece with highlights from the roundtable in the coming days.