Reimagining Social Security and Restoring Fiscal Sanity with Romina Boccia | Let People Prosper Ep. 170🎙️

A Conversation with Romina Boccia of the Cato Institute

Hello Friends!

Is America’s debt crisis the biggest threat to prosperity—and can we fix it before it’s too late?

In this week’s Let People Prosper Show, I sit down with Romina Boccia, one of the nation’s top fiscal minds and a fearless reformer when it comes to Washington’s runaway spending. Romina is the Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the Cato Institute, where she leads research on federal spending, debt, and entitlement reform. She’s also the principal author of Debt Dispatch—the number-one fiscal newsletter read by members of Congress—and author of the new book Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Changes.

I first met Romina during my time at the White House Office of Management and Budget, and I’ve admired her work ever since. In this episode, we talk about her journey from Germany to D.C., how she became one of the fiercest advocates for limited government, and why entitlement reform isn’t just a numbers issue—it’s about moral responsibility to future generations.

We unpack why the national debt—now over $37 trillion and rising by about $2 trillion a year—is a bipartisan failure decades in the making. Romina explains how unchecked spending, not too little revenue, is driving the crisis—and why sustainable reform to Social Security and Medicare is critical to preserving both freedom and prosperity.

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🎯 Key Takeaways

• The national debt is unsustainable and threatens long-term prosperity.

• Government overspending—not lack of revenue—is the real problem.

• Social Security and Medicare need reform to remain viable.

• Immigration reform could help strengthen America’s fiscal outlook.

• Private savings and market competition create better outcomes than centralized programs.

• Political courage—not just policy analysis—is needed to fix Washington’s broken incentives.

• Fiscal rules like spending caps and balanced budget targets can make reform stick.

• Stronger families and private institutions are essential for long-term sustainability.

🧠 My Take:

Romina cuts through the noise with a simple truth: America doesn’t have a revenue problem—it has a spending addiction.

Politicians in both parties have kicked the can down the road for decades, trading short-term political comfort for long-term fiscal chaos. But with rising interest costs and an aging population, we’re running out of road.

Her book Reimagining Social Security offers a roadmap—drawing lessons from nations that have modernized their retirement systems to empower individuals, encourage savings, and protect future generations. That’s exactly the thinking we need in Washington today.

As someone who helped identify $4.6 trillion in savings at the White House, I know firsthand how difficult reform can be—but also how possible it can be with leadership and a clear vision.

🕰️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction and Guest Background
03:00 – Romina’s Journey from Germany to D.C.
09:00 – The U.S. Debt Crisis and Its Root Causes
18:00 – Entitlement Reform and Political Obstacles
27:00 – Lessons from Reimagining Social Security
36:00 – Immigration, Growth, and Fiscal Health
45:00 – Restoring Sustainable Budgeting
54:00 – The Future of Fiscal Reform

🔚 Final Thoughts

The debt crisis didn’t appear overnight—and it won’t be solved by slogans or short-term deals.
It will take courage, honesty, and a renewed belief that fiscal responsibility is a moral duty. Romina Boccia reminds us that real prosperity begins with living within our means—and trusting people, not government, to build the future.

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