Key topics in today’s conversation include:

• Welcoming Brittany Madni to the Show (0:57)
• Brittany’s Background and EPIC’s Work on Federal Budget Policy (2:12)
• Founders’ Obsession with Public Debt (Jefferson, Washington, Hamilton) (3:23)
• Why Brittany Framed Her Testimony Around the Constitution and the Founders (5:07)
• How the Hearing Went: Partisan Dynamics and Resistance to Spending Talk (7:45)
• Is It Really a Spending Problem? Brittany’s Publix/Credit Card Analogy (13:07)
• Autopilot Spending: 80% of the Budget Not Reviewed Annually by Congress (18:22)
• CBO 10‑Year “Window”: $94.6T in Spending vs. $70T in Revenue (23:20)
• Debt‑to‑GDP Surpassing World War II Levels and What That Means (26:07)
• Exploding Interest Costs and What “Half of Income Taxes to Interest” Means (28:33)
• Losing Fiscal Space to Handle Crises (Wars, Pandemics, Disasters) (31:19)
• Interest Payments Rivaling All Discretionary Spending by Decade’s End (33:01)
• National Debt as National Security and a Threat to Freedom (36:25)
• What a Good Balanced Budget Amendment Must and Must Not Do (43:56)
• Why Brittany Changed Her Mind on a BBA over the Last Decade (47:14)
• Limited Government, Future Generations, and Where to Follow EPIC’s Work (49:52)

Gross Domestic Problem is a podcast from Millennial Debt Foundation focusing on America’s biggest financial crisis. Each episode, we break down how we got here, what happens if we don’t act, and the least painful way forward. There’s no do-nothing solution. Subscribe now at grossdomesticproblem.com and join the conversation.

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