As Congress prepares to push the national debt past $30 trillion and with the debt on pace to double the size of the American economy as millennials approach retirement, a bipartisan group including the last three Tennessee governors, will convene in Nashville for the second event in the Millennial Debt Foundation’s Stewardship Series.
Current Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and former governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen will take part in the one-hour virtual event from 1-2 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 11, at the Beacon Center to discuss the consequences of the exploding national debt and why sound fiscal stewardship at the state level is critical to a stable, growing economy.
Beacon Center Chief Executive Officer Justin Owen will join Governor Lee in a discussion with MDF Founder Weston Wamp, who will moderate all three segments of the program. In addition, there will be a bonus segment at 2 p.m. CST featuring U.S. Rep. Mark Green and Millennial Debt Commission members and Tennessee business leaders Cam Doody and Nick Macco.
The Beacon Center of Tennessee and the Tennessee Chapter of Americans for Prosperity are co-sponsoring MDF’s Nashville Stewardship Series.
“Between our January launch of the Stewardship Series in Austin and the time we convene in Nashville, the national debt is likely to increase by another $2 trillion,” said MDF Founder Weston Wamp. “Tennessee, like Texas, is a state where sound fiscal policy and good stewardship of the state economy has blossomed under conservative fiscal policies of all three governors, and we are honored to have these distinguished leaders join us.”
The MDF launched the Stewardship Series on Jan. 29 in Austin, Texas, with three panels of leading Texas fiscal conservatives, including Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Congressman Dan Crenshaw, and Congressman Chip Roy. With the goal of breaking out of the Washington bubble to have honest conversations about the consequences of the national debt, the MDF Stewardship Series will travel to Wisconsin and Florida following the Tennessee meeting.
Over 20 years of bipartisan leadership under governors Bredesen, Haslam and Lee, Tennessee became the top-ranked state in the country for fiscal stewardship, enabling the state to withstand the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
“Fiscal responsibility is one of the cornerstones of Tennessee’s success story,” said Beacon Center CEO Justin Owen. “As the Tennessee economy continues to soar, it makes sense to have a discussion on fiscal restraint in the state that has the lowest debt per capita. Because of the free market policies and fiscal responsibility championed by the past three governors and the Beacon Center alike, Tennessee is the gold standard when it comes to fiscal stewardship.”
1-1:20 p.m. Former Gov. Bill Haslam (Zoom)
1:20-1:40 p.m. Former Gov. Phil Bredesen (in person)
1:40-2 p.m. Gov. Bill Lee, Beacon Center CEO Justin Owen (in person)
2-2:15 p.m. U.S. Rep. Mark Green (Zoom)
Millennial Debt Commission members Cam Doody and Nick Macco (Zoom)
Register for the event here.