With a new Congress and President about to be sworn into office, The Ripon Forum reached out to policy and political leaders from around America to get their thoughts on the most pressing challenges facing our country and the priorities that should be addressed in the coming year.
The leaders include Governors Jared Polis (D-CO) and Kevin Stitt (R-OK), who, in an essay for this final edition of the Forum for 2024, write about their belief that improving education should be a top priority for America in 2025 and the bipartisan effort they are launching as the Chair and Vice Chair of the National Governor’s Association to achieve that goal.
“Governors aren’t focused on whether ideas are red or blue; we’re focused on finding policy solutions that work,” Polis and Stitt write. “We know that education is the key to prosperity and success for individuals, our communities, and our economy. That’s why education – and specifically marketable skills – is the focus of this year’s NGA Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success.”
Also writing an essay for this latest edition is David Holt, who serves as the Mayor of Oklahoma City and will serve as President of the United States Conference of Mayors in 2025. “Our nation’s infrastructure is aging rapidly” Holt observes. “Implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act will continue and should remain a priority. Additionally, there should be conversations in Washington about further investment in this area. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act is a start, but America has infrastructure needs that far exceed its funding.”
In another essay, Margaret Spellings, the President & CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Ron Terwilliger, the founder of BPC’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy, argue that reducing the national debt should be at or near the top of the agenda in 2025. “Left unchecked,” the pair write, “our growing financial burden will squeeze families and small businesses by keeping interest rates elevated, slowing economic growth, and contributing to worsening financial inequality. That squeeze is particularly evident in the housing market, which is already under intense pressure.”
For David J. Kramer, who serves as Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute, the most pressing challenge facing America is not backing away from the increasing number of threats our nation faces abroad. “U.S. leadership requires vigilance and constant commitment,” Kramer writes. “Otherwise, we risk ceding the global field to Russian and Chinese leadership – and that would be a world deeply contrary to our interests.”
In other essays, Paul Renner, the outgoing Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, advises the new Congress and President to follow the lead of the Sunshine State in tackling the fiscal problems the American people face. “While strong leadership is key to Florida’s success,” Renner writes, “we also greatly benefit from three constitutional safeguards … a balanced budget requirement, the governor’s line-item veto authority, and term limits.”
Another leader from the Sunshine State, former GOP Congressman Carlos Curbelo, has a different piece of advice for his former colleagues — don’t overreach. “The potential peril for Republicans lies in using reconciliation to advance unpopular policies or to attack popular policies passed by previous Congresses,” Curbelo writes. “If reconciliation is used wisely to address the American people’s priorities in a manner that unites the country, Republican Senators and House Members need not meet the fate of their predecessors in 2010, 2018, and 2022.”
If Republicans do have a mandate, California State Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson believes it is making sure America does not follow the path charted in her home state. “My sincere hope for the new leadership in Washington,” she writes, “is that they listen to the message voters sent them loudly and clearly in the election and get to work quickly in turning our nation around, because the California way is not going to go away quietly.”
Pearce Godwin, the Founder & CEO of the Listen First Project, advises the new majority in Washington to chart a more hopeful path. “We have a golden opportunity to be the party of unity and dignity for all,” Godwin writes. “We can proudly stand for free speech, for a free marketplace of ideas, for a shared national identity as Americans.”
In addition to these essays focusing on 2025 priorities, the latest edition of the Forum also includes an analysis of the November elections by Republican strategist Ed Goeas and Democratic strategist Celinda Lake. Among the duo’s key findings: “The vast majority of voters want all parties to work together to solve problems and favor compromises, even imperfect ones.”
As always, we hope you enjoy this edition of The Ripon Forum, and encourage you to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.
Lou Zickar
Editor of The Ripon Forum
louzickar@riponsociety.org