The following DePaul University faculty members are available for media interviews involving this week’s activity on the federal budget deficit resolution:

Wayne Steger, professor and department chair of political science, (773) 325-4240, wsteger@depaul.edu.  He can address the political reasoning of the committee members.  “The consequences of super-committee deadlock and inaction are supposed to spread across the budget, hurting interests near and dear to the constituencies of both political parties,” Steger said.  “Both parties, however, have incentives to create a resolution that moves hard decisions down the road, and any decisions made now can be undone later.”

Mike Mezey, professor of political science, (773) 325-7318, mmezey@depaul.edu. He can address inherent problems with the committee structure.  “The committee was destined to fail, and its existence suggests the bankruptcy of the Congressional decision-making process. In essence, they created hostages (discretionary domestic spending and the Defense Department) and claimed that they would ‘shoot the hostages’ unless there was an agreement to do the politically unthinkable –cut entitlements and raise taxes.” 

Timothy Opiela, associate professor of economics, (312) 362-5584, topiela@depaul.edu. He can discuss the various arguments for tax increases versus spending cuts.

Michael Miller, associate professor of economics, (312)  362-8477, mmiller@depaul.edu. He can discuss why the process failed and the economic consequences. "The issues at hand show the split in the country on how to deal with the short- and long-run budget decisions. Both sides really do believe that giving in will lead to further failure of government and the economy."
 

About DePaul University

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, nonprofit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on three Chicago campuses and three suburban campuses. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.