Maya Rockeymoore

Maya Rockeymoore, president and chief executive officer of Global Policy Solutions, a policy firm that works to create and advance social change strategies, was far more critical of Obama’s budget priorities. “What we’re really prosecuting here today is the grand bargain,” she said, referring to the effort to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans on the federal budget. “The question becomes: is this a fair bargain for the American people?”

Maya Rockeymoore, president and chief executive officer of Global Policy Solutions

 

Rockeymoore blamed two unfunded wars and Bush-era tax cuts for the current budget shortfalls and warned against looking to non-defense spending to restore the nation’s fiscal health. “Budgets are about our vision for the future,” she said, characterizing Social Security, Medicare, and other social programs as “pillars” of our society. “The grand bargain,” she concluded, “threatens these pillars.” Rockeymoore was particularly critical of Obama’s endorsement of the “chained CPI” and his willingness to take up many Republican positions in order to finalize a deal.