This week we welcome Mercatus Senior Research Fellow Jason Fichtner to discuss the highly anticipated. Deficit Commission Report and its proposals. In this podcast Jason discusses the recommendations of the report, if these recommendations will actually help reduce the deficit, and possible outcomes if these policy recommendations are implemented. Jason notes that, although it failed to pass, it won’t be the last we see of these types of recommendations. Topics of discussion include: social security reform, tax reform, and entitlement reforms.

Jason J. Fichtner is Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center. Previously, he served in several positions at the Social Security Administration (SSA) including Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (Acting), Chief Economist and Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy. Prior to the Social Security Administration, Dr. Fichtner was a Senior Economist with the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the United States Congress. Dr. Fichtner’s primary research interests are Social Security, federal tax policy, budget issues, as well as policy proposals to increase saving and investment.