WASHINGTON — The Concord Coalition honored five individuals last night for their distinguished public service with the 2013 Paul E. Tsongas Economic Patriot Award: Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair Dr. Alice Rivlin; former senators Sam Nunn, Pete Domenici and Bill Brock, and the late Rev. Bill Gray, who served as chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Each of the recipients has shown a “profound dedication to making a better America for today and for future generations, said Robert L. Bixby, Concord’s executive director. “Although they come from different experiences and different political philosophies, each of our honorees tonight is a great American, and highly deserving of our recognition.”
Bixby also noted that all of the honorees had been involved last year in the “Strengthening of America” project, a joint effort by Concord and a number of other organizations that included a series of high-profile forums on the nation’s fiscal challenges and their potential impact on everything from economic growth to national security and America’s place in the world.
Rivlin, Nunn, Domenici and Brock received the Economic Patriot Award at Concord’s annual dinner in Washington. Justin Gray, Rev. Bill Gray’s son, accepted it on his father’s behalf.
The award is named for the late Paul E. Tsongas, one of Concord’s founding co-chairmen. It honors those who have demonstrated a commitment to fiscal responsibility and the protection of younger generations from irresponsible fiscal policies. Over the years the award has been given to individuals of varied backgrounds and political affiliations.
This year’s recipients:
Alice Rivlin. An economist, Rivlin served as Federal Reserve vice chair, founding director of the Congressional Budget Office, and director of the Office and Management and Budget. Now a scholar at the Brookings Institution, Rivlin was also on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and is a co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Debt Reduction Task Force.
Sam Nunn. After serving in the Georgia House of Representatives, Nunn, a Democrat, was a U.S. senator from 1973 through 1997. He later helped create the Nuclear Threat Initiative to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Nunn served as a co-chair of The Concord Coalition from 1997 to 2001, and again in 2012.
Pietro V. “Pete” Domenici. A Republican, Domenici represented New Mexico for six terms in the Senate, where he served as Budget Committee chair and in other roles. He is currently a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he is a co-chair of the Debt Reduction Task Force.
William E. “Bill” Brock III. A former Republican House member and senator from Tennessee, Brock also held the posts of U.S. trade representative and secretary of labor. He remains active in education reform efforts aimed at keeping America competitive in the global marketplace.
William H. “Bill” Gray III. An ordained minister, Gray represented his Pennsylvania district as a Democrat from 1979 to 1991 in the House, becoming the first African-American to chair the House Budget Committee and to serve as majority whip. Gray, who later served as president of the United Negro College Fund, died last summer.
Media contact: Steve Winn, 703-254-7828, [email protected]
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The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. Since 1992, Concord has worked to educate the public about the causes and consequences of the federal deficit and debt, and to develop realistic solutions for sustainable budgets. For more fiscal news and analysis, visit concordcoalition.org or see us on facebook.com/concordcoalition and follow us on Twitter: @ConcordC
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