Statement on the Passing of Peter G. Peterson

For Immediate Release

The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, on the passing of Peter G. Peterson:

Pete Peterson saw the dangers of a mounting national debt and took on a seemingly impossible cause that no one wanted to face. His leadership and wisdom made our nation stronger. He was simply the adult in the room – the conscience of our nation’s budget. When politicians went on dangerous debt binges and spending sprees, he fought them; when name calling erupted, he stepped into the fire; when partisanship reigned, he defended bipartisan solutions. Although this is a great loss for his family and for our nation, Pete’s work will live on. He laid a foundation of fiscal studies and resources that lawmakers will call on for years, and as the debt crisis he warned us all against looms large, so will his legacy and memory.

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For more information contact Patrick Newton, Press Secretary, at newton@crfb.org.