Alexander Hamilton Forum

Jessica Riedl is a budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution where she focuses on federal spending, taxes, and the long-term fiscal outlook. She makes the argument few in Washington have the courage to say out loud: America’s debt crisis is primarily about Social Security and Medicare. Reforming them cannot wait.

Why does the law protect a hobby farm the same way it protects a national park? Matt Yglesias, a journalist and author of the widely-read policy newsletter Slow Boring, argues that America’s habit of treating farmland as a form of nature drives up housing costs, entrenches NIMBYism under a “green” label, and, paradoxically, makes it harder to protect the land we actually want to preserve. Yglesias has been an influential voice in the “abundance” movement shaping debates over housing, energy, and infrastructure policy.

Health care inflation is a major problem in the United States. Policymakers claim to be working to slow the growth of health care spending, but these efforts are sorely lacking in most states.

Wall Street Journal Reporter Emma Camp will give a talk on her in-progress book “Why is Gen Z so Risk Averse?”

The Dignity of Dependence argues that women’s equal rights depend on advocating for women as women.

The world is not ready to welcome women as women; a culture that fears dependence and asks everyone to aim for autonomy and independence will always be a society hostile to women. Women are expected to care for those around them while living in a society that despises need and penalizes those who care for the weak.

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs program on Global Economics, Development and Political Economy presents Marc Dunkelman and “Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress - And How to Bring it Back.”

America was once a country that did big things—we built the world’s greatest rail network, a vast electrical grid, interstates, abundant housing, Social Security, and more. But today, even we feel stuck. Why?

Lauren Harper Pope is the co-founder of Welcome PAC, an organization that works to get Democrats elected in Republican-leaning districts. She is going to provide her insights into the 2024 election and campaign strategy more generally. 

Individualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights. In The Roots of American Individualism, Alex Zakaras traces the origins of individualist ideas to the turbulent political controversies of the Jacksonian era (1820–1850) and explores their enduring influence on American politics and culture.

Marc Goldwein, senior VP and Policy Director of the Committee for a Responsible Budget will provide an in-depth analysis of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (i.e. the Trump tax cuts). With many provisions of the TCJA set to expire, the discussion will explore potential scenarios for negotiations around tax policy under the second Trump administration and the implications for businesses, individuals, and the country as a whole.

What is the right approach on public policy and transgender medicine? To help us think through this question, we will hear from two highly respected commentators on this topic: Leor Sapir of the Manhattan Institute and Brianna Wu, the Executive Director of Rebellion PAC.

MIDD ID cardholders only.