June 5th, 2017
By: Up to Us Staff
From May 22-25, representatives from the top 20 teams for the Up to Us campus competition travelled to Washington, D.C. to attend the Peter G. Peterson Fiscal Summit and attend meetings with members of Congress and think-tanks.
Day 1
All students arrived in Washington, D.C. ready for a busy few days learning about fiscal policy and how to turn their passion for policy into a career. For most attendees, this was their first time in D.C. and everyone was excited to see the sights around our nation’s capitol. We met for a group dinner that night where students were able to meet each other and discuss the campus campaigns that landed them in the top 20.
Day 2
We attended the Peterson Foundation’s annual Fiscal Summit. At the summit, students had the chance to hear from important policy makers such as Senator John McCain, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, and Senator Mark Warner.
Some of the themes discussed were: the rising long-term national debt and what legislators are doing to address it, how to find consensus in a divided Congress, tax policy, and healthcare reform.
“My favorite part of the trip was the Fiscal Summit with the Peterson Foundation. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be here with Up to Us!” - Analine Morales, team leader from Oakland Community College
Day 3
During the morning, we had four meetings on Capitol Hill to discuss the long-term national debt and the federal budget making process with our nation’s policymakers. Walking the halls of Congress, you never know who you are going to run into. Some students bumped into Senator Ted Cruz, Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator Bernie Sanders.
During the afternoon, students had the opportunity to visit the Bipartisan Policy Center, American Action Forum, and the Congressional Budget office to learn more deeply about the role that think-tanks play in policy debates and the history of the long-term national debt.
“It has been a blast to go to the CBO, think-tanks and meetings on Capitol Hill. But most importantly, it is so fun to meet all of the team leaders from other campuses.” - Jared Greenberg, team leader from Arizona State University
Day 4
After two days jam-packed with fiscal policy and career learning, students got to go on tour of the monuments in Washington, D.C. including the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and World War II Memorial.
“We have learned an immense amount of skills that we are going to use on-campus to plan our own debate. We are so glad we got this experience with Up to Us!” - Gerson Guevara, team member from winning team Jackson State University