PRINCIPLES & PRIORITIES (P&P) Interactive Deficit Reduction Exercise

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1 PRINCIPLES & PRIORITIES (P&P) Interactive Deficit Reduction Exercise A Facilitator s Guide The Concord Coalition s interactive deficit-reduction exercise Principles & Priorities (P&P) has been used by a wide range of groups (high school through graduate students, senior citizens, business and community leaders, elected officials, etc.) and can be easily modified to fit into a variety of formats and time periods. This exercise and shorter versions of it can give participants a better understanding of the federal budget and the national debt as well as the economic and political forces that influence fiscal policy decisions. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FACILITATION 1. PREPARATIONS / MATERIALS NEEDED Instructor/Facilitator Participants P&P Workbook P&P Workbooks (1 per participant) P&P Options Book Slide presentation--including AV equipment and screen (optional) P&P Options Books (1-3 per working group) P&P documents can be downloaded here: Description of materials: P&P Workbook: The Workbook provides an overview of the federal budget, the budget outlook, brief instructions for the exercise, policy options to consider, a section for recording group decisions, and a financial summary of the group's results. P&P Options Book: The Options Book describes each policy option in more detail, with pro and con arguments. Most of the information comes from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which has scored, or estimated, the impact of the options over the next 10 years (the traditional budget window that Congress uses). Materials from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation have also been used..

2 Slide presentation (optional): Concord s short chart presentation provides an overview of the federal budget, drivers of current and future deficits, and instructions for the exercise. Usually groups have a limited amount of time for the exercise, so the time should be used as efficiently as possible. It is best to have the room arranged in advance with round tables that can seat five to seven people (the optimal group size), and to have all of the necessary materials on the tables. If your room does not accommodate round tables, please ensure that participants can easily be divided into small working groups. Divide participants into small groups, aiming for diversity among the participants in each group. Each group should select a Chairman and a Recorder. The Chairman s role is to ensure that all group members participate in the discussion and to keep the work on schedule by calling for votes after a reasonable amount of discussion has occurred. The Chairman can also serve as spokesman for the group during the wrap-up portion of the program. The Recorder keeps track of the group s decisions and completes the Summary of Results. If using PowerPoint, ensure proper and functioning AV equipment along with a screen at the front of the room. 2. OVERVIEW OF FEDERAL BUDGET AND EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS Instructions for the exercise vary depending on whether the facilitator is using a Concord Coalition PowerPoint or simply using the Workbook and Options Book. If using a PowerPoint presentation, proceed with the brief slide show that highlights areas of the federal budget and identifies the primary drivers of current and projected debt and deficits. Then the presentation shifts to instructional slides that show participants how to conduct the exercise in their small groups. If not using a PowerPoint presentation, review pp. 1-4 in the Workbook with the participants. The facilitator should read aloud the content on p. 2. If the audience or class has any additional goals related to conducting this exercise, discuss them now. The snapshots of the federal budget and budget outlook lay the groundwork for the exercise. The group should consider which principles will lead them through the rest of the exercise whether they will raise taxes, cut spending, or some combination, etc. Remind participants that group decisions require a majority vote. Also, they do not have to complete the exercise in the order it is written. But they should be sure to cover at least a few options in all four sections of the exercise: non-defense discretionary spending, homeland security and defense, mandatory spending/entitlement programs; and taxes/revenue.

3 Please read aloud the following paragraph and then tell your participants to begin the exercise. Like Members of Congress, you will not have time to fully read every option or have expertise of every option. Congress only has until the end of the legislative session to act on proposed legislation -- time passes very quickly on Capitol Hill just as it will for you when trying to fully complete this exercise. Try to vote on every option. But if you run out of time, be sure to debate and vote on options that are important to members of your group/committee. 3. DURING THE EXERCISE While the groups are working, the facilitator should roam the room, listen in on discussions, help moderate heated conversations, encourage full participation, and answer participants questions if possible. Facilitators don t have to have all the answers; after all, members of Congress often lack complete information when they must make their decisions. However, the Options book provides participants with a great deal of additional information. The Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this document may be helpful as well. Group Recorders should indicate YES or NO as decisions are made and complete the Summary of Results section on p. 10 at the end of a group s deliberations. Money gained or loss is only included for YES votes. (A NO vote means no change in policy and therefore no fiscal impact.) Finally, the facilitator s most important job may be to help move groups along toward policy decisions: time management is essential to completing all or most of this exercise in a short period of time. 4. SESSION WRAP-UP A certain amount of time -- perhaps 10 or 20 minutes -- should be devoted to a wrap-up session, including the reports from the group chairmen. Among the questions the facilitator can ask of the chairmen: 1. How much deficit reduction did the group achieve? If there was an initial deficitreduction goal, did the group reach it? 2. Did a group reach consensus on any of the policy options (consensus FOR or AGAINST a policy). 3. Which of these policies resulted in the most discussion, or were the most difficult for the group to decide on?. 4. What were the main principles and priorities that came into play? 5. If group members were elected officials, would they likely be reelected after making the policy choices they did? 6. Did a group s decision particularly help or hinder a certain sector of society or part of the country?

4 Which policies an entire group agrees on is telling as is knowing which topics it found to be very challenging. Often the issues that seem most difficult to participants of this exercise are the ones whose solutions also remain elusive for elected officials in Washington. The facilitator can also invite members of the small groups to share some of their conversations during the exercise: What were some of the main points discussed, hurdles they faced, etc.? The facilitator or one of the participants could record some of these comments on a blackboard or flip chart. During the wrap-up, participants may discuss different outcomes, strengths or weaknesses of their groups compared to others, etc. The wrap-up often reflects the geographic considerations, socio-economic differences, political concerns and other factors that influence the 535 Members of the U.S. House and Senate. These factors help explain why policymakers often experience gridlock on Capitol Hill -- and perhaps provide some clues for breaking that gridlock as well. ALTERNATIVE INTERACTIVE BUDGET EXERCISES For a more in-depth P&P experience, participants could be asked to research federal budget policy or economic developments preceding the exercise. They could also identify additional pro- and con-arguments for each policy. Participants can assume the roles of specific members of Congress and, based on background research, provide those lawmakers perspectives. If participants want to thoroughly read all the information provided by the Options Book and introduce outside research to their group dialogue about every single policy in the exercise, it could take several hours to complete. Debt Busters Debt Busters is the condensed version of Principle & Priorities. Debt Busters includes 9 broad options that resemble omnibus legislation that includes many policy choices. This shorter version can be completed in an hour or less. Participants learn federal budget basics and encounter some of the same tough choices as they would in P&P. Debt Buster categories include discretionary spending, health care, security, entitlement spending, and various tax policies. This exercise is recommended for time frames of one hour or less, and is most commonly used in high school or college undergraduate classes. However, it can work well with audiences of all ages. Debt Busters can be downloaded here:

5 Penny Game The Penny Game is a simpler exercise that looks at taxes and spending decisions. It is recommended for grade-school students and can be completed in 30 minutes or less. The Penny Game can be downloaded here: FOLLOW-UP If you have questions or comments about these exercises, please contact Sara Imhof by e- mail at simhof@concordcoalition.org or by phone at Thank you for supporting The Concord Coalition and its goals for improving public education and civil discourse about the nation s fiscal challenges.

6 Frequently Asked Questions Principles & Priorities What Are Principles & Priorities and Related Budget Exercises? Principles & Priorities (P&P) is an interactive exercise -- generally about two hours long -- in which participants learn about the fiscal challenges facing the country and try to agree on a comprehensive plan to put America on a sound fiscal foundation for the next decade. Working in small groups, they consider issues such as government spending priorities, tax policies and entitlement reform. Participants gain first-hand experience in dealing with the difficult budget questions facing Congress and the President as they consider our rising federal debt, growing demands on entitlement programs from an aging population, and the need to promote long-term economic growth and protect the interests of our children and future generations. Specifically, participants consider: What is the current composition of the federal budget? Who pays taxes, how much is Washington borrowing, and how is the money being spent? What changes in taxes and spending have been under consideration in Washington? What kind of compromises will be required of our political leaders to put the country on a better course, and will American voters likely reward or punish them in the next election? A Principles & Priorities program concludes with reports from each of the participating groups on their fiscal reform plans, followed by a wrap-up discussion of the lessons learned from the exercise -- and how citizens can encourage Washington to take a more responsible and sustainable course. The Concord Coalition also offers different versions of this budget exercise for various time frames and audiences. Debt Busters is a condensed version of P & P. This version includes nine broad packages of policies (resembling what Washington calls omnibus legislation ) and the entire exercise can be completed in an hour or less. Debt Buster categories include discretionary spending, health care, security, entitlement spending, and various tax policies. This exercise is recommended for time-frames of one hour or less and is mostly commonly utilized in high school or undergraduate classes. However, it can be successfully implemented with audiences of all ages. Debt Busters can be downloaded here: The Penny Game looks in a more basic way at government decisions on taxes and spending. This game is designed for grade school students and can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

7 The Penny Game can be downloaded here: Who can participate in Debt Busters and Principles & Priorities? Almost anyone can participate! This interactive exercise has been conducted with civic groups, professional associations, elected officials and their constituents, high school and college students, and congressional staff members. Any group of people who are willing to spend the time and to engage in civil dialogue about the nation s fiscal challenges can enjoy the exercises. Does a Principles & Priorities program need to be exactly two hours long? No, but it is difficult to complete the exercise in less time. And some groups devote several hours to the exercise, with extended discussions of many different policy options. Setting aside at least two hours for the exercise allows participants to review more of the detailed information found in the Options Book and to have thoughtful discussions and debate. Time pressure, however, is something that members of Congress must often deal with themselves in making budget decisions and forging compromises with their colleagues. If an hour and a half or less is all your group can devote to an exercise, we suggest using Debt Busters, the condensed version of P&P. What is the difference between the Principles & Priorities Workbook and the Options Book? Each individual participant in P&P needs a Workbook. It provides introductory information about the budget, outlines the policy options available, and includes a scorecard section for recording a group s decisions. In addition, each group or committee should have at least one Options Book. It is larger than the Workbook and explains each policy option in more detail. The Options Book also presents arguments that have been put forth by proponents and opponents of each option. Why aren t there P&P options for eliminating certain federal departments or programs, or for cutting or implementing certain taxes? In an exercise such as this, it simply isn t feasible to include every possible option that might increase or decrease the deficit. But P&P includes a wide variety of options that are commonly discussed and debated in Washington and that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has scored in terms of their impact on the deficit. We have tried to include different options that will appeal to people with different perspectives and backgrounds,

8 including political, socioeconomic, etc. We also periodically update the exercise, taking into account new developments and suggestions we have received from P&P participants. Who created the P&P exercise and why? The Concord Coalition created it and has been using it with groups around the country for several years. Concord is a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of large federal deficits, the longterm challenges facing America's entitlement programs, and ways to build a sound foundation for economic growth. Concord designed this exercise to foster discussions about the federal budget and to engage Americans in a conversation about fiscal reform, encouraging them to become part of the solution to the nation s budget problems. We have found that when people work with others who have different perspectives, they develop a better appreciation of the political challenges involved in fiscal reform, and often become more willing to reconsider their own views and explore possible compromises and new solutions. Where did the information included in the budget exercises come from? The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) produces independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to help Congress make its decisions. The CBO s budget options report, produced approximately every two years, is the primary source for the policy options and the pro/con arguments in Principles and Priorities. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (the ACA, also referred to as Obamacare ) calls for a great deal of new spending. So why does one P&P option say repealing the law would decrease the deficit over 10 years? Remember that deficits are not just a product of spending but of a mismatch between spending and revenue. According the CBO, the Affordable Care Act calls for additional spending over the next 10 years but also brings in a great deal of additional revenue from taxes and fees. According to current estimates, the ACA will collect more revenue than it is expected to spend, resulting in a net reduction of projected deficits over 10 years. The P&P exercise instructs us to skip tax items if we vote for item 32A or 32B -- comprehensive tax reform. Why? Items 32A and 32B represent comprehensive tax reform measures, with several different policies within the overall legislation. Options 33 through 36 include some of the same individual measures that are part of 32A and 32B. So if you vote in favor of 32A or 32B, there is no need to vote for the individual items in Options 33 through 36.

9 How do we win the exercise? You win by coming up with a responsible and sustainable fiscal reform plan upon which a majority of your committee can agree -- and that you, if you were in Congress, could persuade your constituents to accept. Generally, of course, lower deficits over the next 10 years are more fiscally responsible. And ideally, the plan on which your group agrees would set the stage for continued fiscal responsibility beyond the next decade as well. However, short-term concerns about the economy must be kept in mind as well, as has been the case in recent years as the country recovered from the Great Recession. There is general agreement that balancing the federal budget anytime soon would be extremely difficult. But substantially lowering deficits over the next 10 years would be a significant improvement over current policy, eventually producing a decline in the overall federal debt as a size of the American economy. The P&P exercise is designed to help people understand the economic, public policy, and political implications of a variety of fiscal choices. There are no right answers or choices but rather choices that participants and groups can select that best represent their principles and values as well as their priorities for the federal government. What is the difference between deficit reduction and debt stabilization? Each year since 2001 the federal government has run a deficit: it has spent more than it has collected in revenue. To reduce the deficit is to reduce the gap between annual federal spending and tax receipts. Deficits are reduced by spending less, increasing revenues, or a combination of the two. Debt stabilization means to stop the debt ratio publicly-held debt to GDP from rising. For our debt to grow more slowly than our GDP, our deficits don t have to be zero. But experts generally agree they should be below 3 percent of GDP. When the economy is back on track, there are good reasons to lower the debt ratio because as the economy improves and interest rates go up, it s more expensive to service a larger stock of debt. Rather than diverting resources to debt service, when debt is on a declining trajectory resources can be used for other goals, including education, infrastructure, and so on. While a truly balanced budget is ideal, reducing annual deficits to stabilize the debt is the logical and responsible first step to a path where balanced budgets could be a possibility in the future. How does the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculate future interest costs? Interest rates fluctuate based on the economic climate and policies enacted by the Federal Reserve. The CBO produces an annual economic forecast that helps it to predict future

10 interest rates and interest costs for the government, but these predictions cannot be made with absolute certainty. Does the Concord Coalition charge anything for using its budget exercises? No. We produce these exercises as a public service. It is helpful, however, to let us know when you are using the exercise and share with us your experiences: simhof@concordcoalition.org. Also, donations are always welcome to help us cover the costs of updating the exercises and continuing with our mission of helping people to better understand the fiscal and economic challenges facing the country. How can I learn more about conducting this exercise with a group? The Concord Coalition has a number of resources available to help facilitators successfully conduct P&P in any setting. See: To speak to a Concord Coalition staff member about this exercise, contact us at or simhof@concordcoalition.org.

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