DOCSLIB.ORG

2013 Annual Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2013 Annual Report 2 013 Annual Report PRESIDENT’S LETTER Creating Space to Govern 2013 was a tough year for American democracy. But there is no need The answers to these questions–and the path to a solution–center to despair, we have been here before. America has endured wars, around a single phenomenon: the breakdown in trust. Throughout the depressions, recessions, and all manners of scandal and sometimes our history of democratic government, trust has been the key to bridging federal government just gets stuck in the mud. In March of 1822, an policy disputes. That’s why restoring confidence in analysis, respectful editorial in The Saturday Evening Post described the accomplishments deliberation, and balanced advocacy is fundamental to BPC’s mission. of our nation’s 17th Congress as: “Procrastination. Debate. … New committees. New Reports. New speeches … and, finally, indefinite BPC provides a safe and politically balanced forum for diverse interests postponements.” Harry Truman famously ran against a “do nothing to develop consensus solutions. These efforts are led by a corps of Congress in 1948,” and the government shutdown and “politics of highly respected political leaders and supported by a team of top- personal destruction” during the Clinton-Gingrich battles were pretty notch subject-matter experts and analysts. In 2013, BPC projects, bare-knuckled. Fortunately American democracy bends, but it does not reports, forums, and workshops addressed a series of challenging issues break. At times like these, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) approach including: and leadership are needed more than ever. • Replacing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; Last year, the Senate and House took turns failing to execute their most basic obligations. In the Republican-controlled House, gridlock over • Effectively implementing Dodd-Frank; the government’s finances led to a shutdown that harmed millions of Americans. A few months later, the Democrat-led Senate could not • Reducing health care costs while increasing access, quality, and resolve conflicts over presidential appointments invoking the so-called personal privacy; “nuclear option” and ending the century-old tradition of protecting minority rights in the confirmation process. • Confronting dangerous situations in the Middle East and increased radicalization here at home; The systemic breakdown on display raises some basic questions: Why do political factions that once sought solutions now pursue obstruction? • Assessing the costs and benefits of immigration reform, options to Why are congressional leaders no longer able or willing to corral their improve border security, and a process to effectively and equitably party’s maverick fringes to advance a national agenda? And most integrate millions of people into the fabric of American society; important, can anything be done to get things back on track? 2 Bipartisan Policy Center: Annual Report 2013 • Maximizing the benefits of our energy boom while moving toward a low-carbon other volunteer and religious leaders, veterans, business executives, academics, state economy; and and local elected officials, and journalists to understand the causes and consequences of America’s partisan divide and to recommend reforms to help achieve shared • Developing the intellectual foundation and political motivation for tax and national goals. Among CPR’s efforts last year was a series of National Conversations on entitlement reform. American Unity launched at the Reagan Presidential Library and continued at leading institutions across the country. BPC’s unique process is essential to bridging differences and achieving consensus: BPC—through our affiliated entity, the Bipartisan Policy Center Advocacy Network We don’t stack the deck: Our projects are led by experts with diverse experience and (BPCAN)—also engages directly in the political process. We conduct aggressive divergent interests. advocacy, provide analysis, work with congressional offices to develop legislative proposals, and push federal decision makers to consider ideas that can generate broad We respect data and conduct transparent analysis: BPC policy recommendations bipartisan support. are based upon detailed studies that are broadly distributed. The hopeful news is that 2013 also demonstrated that our political leaders remain We fight for what we believe in: Once a task force develops detailed capable of real collaboration when given the right incentives. The bipartisan budget recommendations, we work as a group to advocate for all aspects of our agreement. agreement negotiated by Budget Committee Chairs Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) was developed in an atmosphere of urgency, respect, We understand the latitude and limitations of our role: BPC exists to advance and mutual trust. The process was also strongly supported by the Senate majority the debate by digging deeper and pressing further and faster than is often possible leader and the speaker of the House. inside government. We then provide space for policymakers to engage in ideas that stray from single-party orthodoxy. Our efforts demonstrate what can be accomplished Our goal in 2014, and the years to come, is to encourage and reinforce policymakers when experts and passionate advocates are brought together in an environment that with the fortitude, creativity, and commitment to take on big challenges. The American enables constructive deliberation. people deserve better than gridlock. BPC will continue our work to support a government empowered by substance, allegiance, and trust. The second way BPC works to restore trust is by promoting thoughtful political reform from the outside in. The highlight of these efforts in 2013 was the creation of BPC’s Commission on Political Reform (CPR). CPR’s co-chairs are national leaders with storied careers in Congress, the executive branch, and state government. Tom Daschle, Trent Lott, Olympia Snowe, Dirk Kempthorne, and Dan Glickman are working with 25 JASON GRUMET President’s Letter 3 UNIFIED SOLUTIONS. NATIONAL IMPACT. A healthy, civil debate among those with differing viewpoints is the engine of our democracy. In the face of growing polarization, BPC remains steadfast in its mission to demonstrate the possibility and power of bipartisan solutions. In 2013, BPC again proved what can be accomplished when In a time of great political divide, the Bipartisan Policy diverse interests are joined together in rigorous analysis and If BPC didn’t already exist, we reasoned debate. BPC policy recommendations on health, Center proves again and would have to create it.” energy, foreign policy, homeland security, the economy, housing again that good policy is what immigration, and governance are shaping, and in many cases, —Former Secretary of Housing and leading the national debate. BPC forums and workshops Urban Development Henry Cisneros is best for the country.” continue to provide unique opportunities to air differing —Former Governor of views, advance substantive arguments, and build constructive Mississippi Haley Barbour relationships among disparate interests. A Passion for Pragmatism BPC brings together all sides—regardless of party affiliation or SCOPING LAUNCH position—when tackling a problem. By combining politically balanced Only a fraction of project proposals BPC generates attention, momentum, policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach, BPC is become BPC policy initiatives. BPC and accountability with prominent shaping the national policy debate. BPC’s unique process, shown here, conducts extensive research to define kick off events. is essential to providing a forum for diverse perspectives to develop the mission, goals, and potential for impact before starting a new effort. consensus solutions. 4 Bipartisan Policy Center: Annual Report 2013 Immigration Task Force members at BPC’s “The Evolving Immigration Debate: Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) Reform and its Implications for the High-Tech Community” event in Silicon Valley RESEARCH POLICY DEVELOPMENT RELEASE ADVOCACY Research and analysis are the Through extensive deliberation and Once a consensus is reached, The Bipartisan Policy Center foundation for all BPC projects. negotiation, detailed proposals take BPC works with project Advocacy Network works with project shape. Nothing is agreed to until leaders to develop and leaders to advocate for the project’s everything is agreed to. execute a roll-out strategy. recommendations. Unified Solutions. National Impact. 5 BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Bipartisan Policy Center proves that it is possible to overcome tough obstacles and solve real problems.” —BPC Board Member Frank Keating Gen. Charles Wald (Chair) Ralph Cavanagh Walter Isaacson Julie Sweet Senior Advisor Senior Attorney and Co-Director, President & CEO General Counsel & COO Deloitte & Touche, LLP Energy Program The Aspen Institute Accenture Retired General, U.S. Air Force Natural Resources Defense Council Washington, DC Arlington, VA Rosslyn, VA San Francisco, CA Frank Keating Frances Fragos Townsend Dennis Archer Jane Garvey President & CEO Senior Vice President Chairman Emeritus North America Chairman American Bankers Association MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. Dickinson Wright, PLLC Meridiam Former Governor of Oklahoma Former Assistant to President George Former Mayor of Detroit Charlestown, MA Washington, DC W. Bush for Homeland Security and Detroit, MI Counterterrorism New York, NY Jason Grumet Charles Robb Norm Augustine President Distinguished Professor Chairman and Chief Bipartisan
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jonathan Capehart
    Jonathan Capehart Award-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart is anchor of The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC and also an opinion writer and member of the editorial board of The Washington Post, where he hosts the podcast, Cape Up. In 1999, he was on the editorial board at the New York Daily News that won a Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s series of editorials that helped save Harlem’s Apollo Theater. He was also named an Esteem Honoree in 2011. In 2014, The Advocate magazine ranked him nineth out of fifty of the most influential LGBT people in media. In December 2014, Mediaite named him one of the “Top Nine Rising Stars of Cable News.” Equality Forum made him a 2018 LGBT History Month Icon in October. In May 2018, the publisher of the Washington Post awarded him an “Outstanding Contribution Award” for his opinion writing and “Cape Up” podcast interviews. Mr. Capehart first worked as assistant to the president of the WNYC Foundation. He then became a researcher for NBC's The Today Show. From 1993 to 2000, he served as a member of the New York Daily News’ editorial board. Mr. Capehart then went on to work as a national affairs columnist for Bloomberg News from 2000 to 2001, and later served as a policy advisor for Michael Bloomberg in his successful 2001 campaign for Mayor of New York City. In 2002, he returned to the New York Daily News, where he worked as deputy editorial page editor until 2004, when he was hired as senior vice president and senior counselor of public affairs for Hill & Knowlton.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bipartisan Blueprint
    COMMISSION ON POLITICAL REFORM Governing in a Polarized America: A Bipartisan Blueprint to Strengthen our Democracy This report is the product of the BPC Commission on Political Reform with participants of diverse expertise and affiliations, addressing many complex and contentious topics. It is inevitable that arriving at a consensus document in these circumstances entailed compromises. Accordingly, it should not be assumed that every member is entirely satisfied with every formulation in this document, or even that all participants would agree with any given recommendation if it were taken in isolation. Rather, this group reached consensus on these recommendations as a package. The findings and recommendations expressed herein are solely those of the commission and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Bipartisan Policy Center, its founders, or its Board of Directors. Governing in a Polarized America: A Bipartisan Blueprint to Strengthen our Democracy 1 BPC Commission on Political Reform CO-CHAIRS Tom Daschle Dirk Kempthorne Olympia Snowe Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Former Governor of Idaho, U.S. Former U.S. Senator (D-SD); Co-founder, BPC Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. (R-ME); Senior Fellow, BPC Senator (R-ID); President and CEO, Dan Glickman American Council of Life Insurers Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Representative (D-KS); Trent Lott Senior Fellow, BPC Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader (R-MS); Senior Fellow, BPC COMMISSIONERS Hope Andrade Heather Gerken David McIntosh Former Texas Secretary of State (R) J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law, Yale Former U.S. Representative (R-IN); Law School Partner, Mayer Brown LLP Molly Barker Founder, Girls on the Run Michael Gerson Eric L.
    [Show full text]
  • Speaking from the Heart: Mediation and Sincerity in U.S. Political Speech
    Speaking from the Heart: Mediation and Sincerity in U.S. Political Speech David Supp-Montgomerie A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Christian Lundberg V. William Balthrop Carole Blair Lawrence Grossberg William Keith © 2013 David Supp-Montgomerie ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT David Supp-Montgomerie: Speaking from the Heart: Mediation and Sincerity in U.S. Political Speech (Under the direction of Christian Lundberg) This dissertation is a critique of the idea that the artifice of public speech is a problem to be solved. This idea is shown to entail the privilege attributed to purportedly direct or unmediated speech in U.S. public culture. I propose that we attend to the ēthos producing effects of rhetorical concealment by asserting that all public speech is constituted through rhetorical artifice. Wherever an alternative to rhetoric is offered, one finds a rhetoric of non-rhetoric at work. A primary strategy in such rhetoric is the performance of sincerity. In this dissertation, I analyze the function of sincerity in contexts of public deliberation. I seek to show how claims to sincerity are strategic, demonstrate how claims that a speaker employs artifice have been employed to imply a lack of sincerity, and disabuse communication, rhetoric, and deliberative theory of the notion that sincere expression occurs without technology. In Chapter Two I begin with the original problem of artifice for rhetoric in classical Athens in the writings of Plato and Isocrates.
    [Show full text]
  • Trump's Generals
    STRATEGIC STUDIES QUARTERLY - PERSPECTIVE Trump’s Generals: A Natural Experiment in Civil-Military Relations JAMES JOYNER Abstract President Donald Trump’s filling of numerous top policy positions with active and retired officers he called “my generals” generated fears of mili- tarization of foreign policy, loss of civilian control of the military, and politicization of the military—yet also hope that they might restrain his worst impulses. Because the generals were all gone by the halfway mark of his administration, we have a natural experiment that allows us to com- pare a Trump presidency with and without retired generals serving as “adults in the room.” None of the dire predictions turned out to be quite true. While Trump repeatedly flirted with civil- military crises, they were not significantly amplified or deterred by the presence of retired generals in key roles. Further, the pattern continued in the second half of the ad- ministration when “true” civilians filled these billets. Whether longer-term damage was done, however, remains unresolved. ***** he presidency of Donald Trump served as a natural experiment, testing many of the long- debated precepts of the civil-military relations (CMR) literature. His postelection interviewing of Tmore than a half dozen recently retired four- star officers for senior posts in his administration unleashed a torrent of columns pointing to the dangers of further militarization of US foreign policy and damage to the military as a nonpartisan institution. At the same time, many argued that these men were uniquely qualified to rein in Trump’s worst pro- clivities. With Trump’s tenure over, we can begin to evaluate these claims.
    [Show full text]
  • Bipartisan Rx for America's Health Care
    IDEAS ACTION RESULTS Bipartisan Rx for America’s Health Care A PRACTICAL PATH TO REFORM February 2020 FUTURE Tom Daschle Bill Frist, M.D. O F H E A LT H CO-CHAIR CO-CHAIR Former Senate Majority Leader Former Senate Majority Leader CA R E Co-Founder, BPC Senior Fellow, BPC LEADERS Andy Slavitt Gail Wilensky, Ph.D. CO-CHAIR CO-CHAIR Senior Advisor, BPC Senior Fellow, Project Hope Former Acting Administrator, Former Administrator, Health Care Centers for Medicare and Financing Administration (Now CMS) Medicaid Services (CMS) Chris Jennings Sheila Burke Fellow, BPC Fellow, BPC Founder and President, Strategic Advisor, Baker Donelson Jennings Policy Strategies James Capretta Cindy Mann Resident Fellow, Milton Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Friedman Chair, Former Director, Center for American Enterprise Institute Medicaid and CHIP Services Avik Roy Senior Advisor, BPC Co-Founder and President, The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity I N Alice M. Rivlin As a member of the Future of Health Former Senior Fellow, Center for Health Care initiative, Alice was a passionate M E M O R I A M Policy, The Brookings Institution health care policy leader who advocated Former Director, Congressional for moving America’s health care Budget Office delivery system toward high-quality, Former Director, White House Office more cost-effective delivery of care. She of Management and Budget strongly supported BPC’s belief that Former Vice-Chair, Federal Reserve nothing can be accomplished without negotiation and compromise—between both houses of Congress, across party lines, and with the president. BPC is very grateful for her contributions to this report before her death.
    [Show full text]
  • This March 19, 2012 Al Sharpton Show
    Page 1 7 of 13 DOCUMENTS Copyright 2012 Roll Call, Inc. All Rights Reserved MSNBC SHOW: POLITICS NATION 6:00 PM EST March 19, 2012 Monday TRANSCRIPT: 031901cb.472 SECTION: NEWS; Domestic LENGTH: 6505 words HEADLINE: POLITICS NATION for March 19, 2012 BYLINE: Al Sharpton GUESTS: Jonathan Capehart; Tracy Martin; Benjamin Crump, Steve Kornacki, Erin McPike, Michelle Caddell, Michael Blevins, Eric Zillmer BODY: REVEREND AL SHARPTON, MSNBC HOST: Welcome to "Politics Nation. I`m Al Sharpton. Tonight`s lead, the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin is parking on national outcry for justice. Three weeks ago the high school junior was shot and killed walking back to his father`s girlfriend`s house in a gated community near Orlando. But still, there has been no arrest even though the police know who shot him. George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain, says he shot in self-defense. But the young man was unarmed. He was going home after buying an iced tea and skittles candy. In a minute, we will talk with Trayvon`s father and family lawyer and we will get a live report from the scene. But first, the police have now finally released the 911 tapes in the case, and it contained a shocking heart-breaking picture of what happened that rainy night of February 26th and they cry out for justice to be done in the case. Here is the call that George Zimmerman, the shooter, made to police. (BEGIN AUDIOTAPE) 911 DISPATCHER: Sanford police department. Page 2 POLITICS NATION for March 19, 2012 MSNBC March 19, 2012 Monday GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, SUSPECT IN TRAYVON`S MARTIN`S KILLING: Hey, we have had some break-ins in my neighborhood, and there is a real suspicious guy that looks like he is up to no good or on drugs or something.
    [Show full text]
  • 2010 Summer Update
    MANHATTAN INSTITUTE 2010SUMMER DEAR MI FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS, At the Manhattan Institute, we pride ourselves on the quality of our public policy research and the practical impact of our ideas. We have long known that Washington is not the only place for new ideas—indeed some of the most important and influential polices first take hold at the state and local levels. From the Manhattan Institute’s inception we have placed a special emphasis on these issues and enjoyed great success, for example, in the areas of policing and public assistance. Today, with the nation’s cascading crisis of public Lawrence J. Mone debt reaching the state and local levels, our fellows are utilizing their expertise to explain the roots of the problem and propose solutions. The growing influence of public-employee unions and the demands that they place on the public purse are unsustainable. For years, MI senior fellows E. J. McMahon and Steven Malanga have warned about public spending run amok. Happily, the general public is getting the message and electing political leaders willing to make the tough decisions needed to rein in government spending. M I MANHATTAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH The mission of the Manhattan Institute is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility. New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s policy address to the Manhattan Institute on his proposed property-tax cap legislation was the first event in a series on “Ideas for the New Decade” highlighting innovative leaders across the country. One such leader is New Jersey governor Christie’s speech, which is available for viewing Chris Christie, whom George Will recently dubbed the on the Manhattan Institute’s website (as are most of our “Trenton Thunder” for his willingness to shake up that events nowadays), is worth quoting at length: state’s political establishment.
    [Show full text]
  • Programming Notes - First Read
    Programming notes - First Read Hotmail More TODAY Nightly News Rock Center Meet the Press Dateline msnbc Breaking News EveryBlock Newsvine Account ▾ Home US World Politics Business Sports Entertainment Health Tech & science Travel Local Weather Advertise | AdChoices Recommended: Recommended: Recommended: 3 Recommended: First Thoughts: My, VIDEO: The Week remaining First Thoughts: How New iPads are Selling my, Myanmar That Was: Gifts, undecided House Rebuilding time for Under $40 fiscal cliff, and races verbal fisticuffs How Cruise Lines Fill All Those Unsold Cruise Cabins What Happens When You Take a Testosterone The first place for news and analysis from the NBC News Political Unit. Follow us on Supplement Twitter. ↓ About this blog ↓ Archives E-mail updates Follow on Twitter Subscribe to RSS Like 34k 1 comment Recommend 3 0 older3 Programming notes newer days ago *** Friday's "The Daily Rundown" line-up with guest host Luke Russert: NBC's Kelly O'Donnell on Petraeus' testimony… NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin live in Gaza… one of us (!!!) with more on the Republican reaction to Romney… NBC's Mike Viqueira on today's White House meeting on the fiscal cliff and The Economist's Greg Ip and National Journal's Jim Tankersley on the "what ifs" surrounding the cliff… New NRCC Chairman Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) on the House GOP's road forward… Democratic strategist Doug Thornell, Roll Call's David Drucker and the New York Times' Jackie Calmes on how the next round of negotiations could be different (or all too similar) to the last time. Advertise | AdChoices *** Friday’s “Jansing & How to Improve Memory E-Cigarettes Exposed: Stony Brook Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris with Scientifically Designed The E-Cigarette craze is sweeping the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Journalists Tweet About the Final 2016 Presidential Debate Hannah Hopper East Tennessee State University
    East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2018 Political Journalists Tweet About the Final 2016 Presidential Debate Hannah Hopper East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the American Politics Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Political Theory Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, and the Social Media Commons Recommended Citation Hopper, Hannah, "Political Journalists Tweet About the Final 2016 Presidential Debate" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3402. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3402 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Political Journalists Tweet About the Final 2016 Presidential Debate _____________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Media and Communication East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Brand and Media Strategy _____________________ by Hannah Hopper May 2018 _____________________ Dr. Susan E. Waters, Chair Dr. Melanie Richards Dr. Phyllis Thompson Keywords: Political Journalist, Twitter, Agenda Setting, Framing, Gatekeeping, Feminist Political Theory, Political Polarization, Presidential Debate, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump ABSTRACT Political Journalists Tweet About the Final 2016 Presidential Debate by Hannah Hopper Past research shows that journalists are gatekeepers to information the public seeks.
    [Show full text]
  • Housing America's Future: New Directions for National Policy
    Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy Report of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission About the Housing Commission • Created by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell • Launched in October 2011 with four co-chairs: - Christopher S. “Kit Bond – Former U.S. Senator; Former Governor of Missouri - Henry Cisneros – Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - Mel Martinez – Former U.S. Senator; Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - George J. Mitchell – Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader • Composed of 21 members drawn from diverse political and professional backgrounds • Report, Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, issued February 25, 2013 - 2 - Housing Commission Principles • A healthy, stable housing market is essential for a strong economy and a competitive America. • The nation’s housing finance system should promote the uninterrupted availability of affordable housing credit and investment capital while protecting American taxpayers. • The United States should reaffirm a commitment to providing a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family. • The primary focus of federal housing policy should be to help those most in need. • Federal policy should strike an appropriate balance between homeownership and rental subsidies. - 3 - Principal Areas of Recommendations • The Continuing Value
    [Show full text]
  • Rural Housing
    Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy Report of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission About the Housing Commission • Created by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell • Launched in October 2011 with four co-chairs: - Christopher S. “Kit Bond – Former U.S. Senator; Former Governor of Missouri - Henry Cisneros – Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - Mel Martinez – Former U.S. Senator; Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - George J. Mitchell – Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader • Composed of 21 members drawn from diverse political and professional backgrounds • Report, Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, issued February 25, 2013 - 2 - Housing Commission Principles • A healthy, stable housing market is essential for a strong economy and a competitive America. • The nation’s housing finance system should promote the uninterrupted availability of affordable housing credit and investment capital while protecting American taxpayers. • The United States should reaffirm a commitment to providing a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family. • The primary focus of federal housing policy should be to help those most in need. • Federal policy should strike an appropriate balance between homeownership and rental subsidies. - 3 - Principal Areas of Recommendations • The Continuing Value
    [Show full text]
  • Affordable Rental Housing • the Importance of Rural Housing
    Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy Report of the Bipartisan Policy Center Housing Commission Background: BPC Housing Commission - 2 - About the Housing Commission • Created by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell • Launched in October 2011 with four co-chairs: - Christopher S. “Kit Bond – Former U.S. Senator; Former Governor of Missouri - Henry Cisneros – Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - Mel Martinez – Former U.S. Senator; Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development - George J. Mitchell – Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader • Composed of 21 members drawn from diverse political and professional backgrounds • Report, Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, issued February 25, 2013 - 3 - Housing Commission Principles • A healthy, stable housing market is essential for a strong economy and a competitive America. • The nation’s housing finance system should promote the uninterrupted availability of affordable housing credit and investment capital while protecting American taxpayers. • The United States should reaffirm a commitment to providing a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family. • The primary focus of federal housing policy should be to help those most in need. • Federal policy should strike an appropriate balance between homeownership and rental subsidies. - 4 - Principal Areas of Recommendations • The Continuing Value of Homeownership • Reforming Our Nation’s Housing Finance System • Affordable Rental Housing • The Importance of Rural Housing • Aging in Place: A New Frontier in Housing - 5 - The Continuing Value of Homeownership - 6 - The Continuing Value of Homeownership Homeownership rates, 3 economic scenarios 69.0 Observed 67.0 Weak Medium 65.0 Strong 63.0 61.0 59.0 57.0 55.0 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 Source: Demographic Challenges and opportunities for U.S.
    [Show full text]