Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, joins Kopi Time from Washington DC to talk about all things fiscal. She provides an historical context to the path of US government debt, from balanced budget and near zero debt days of the 1990s to 100%+ debt/GDP today. She provides valuable insights into the rigidities of spending, the political inclination to pursue unfunded tax cuts and spending increases, and the risk of unchecked expansion of federal government deficit and debt. She assesses the pros and cons of the recent and forthcoming fiscal packages, her wish list of fiscal reforms, especially fiscal rules, and the political room available for debt consolidation. Maya’s team works with both major US political parties to keep fiscal responsibility alive; it’s hard but essential work, and is critically important to follow for those invested in the US economy.