Commentary

Op-Eds and articles by Robert Rubin on the U.S. economy, democracy, fiscal policy, poverty, criminal justice, decision-making, and other areas of public policy.

The Hill Leigh Whiting The Hill Leigh Whiting

Congress can help make housing affordable — it just has to act

By Robert E. Rubin and Rob Portman

The Barrister Apartments in downtown Cincinnati, slated to open early next year, are a housing policy success story. Financed with federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, it is the first investment in affordable housing in the city’s central business district in more than two decades.

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Straight Talk with Hank Paulson Leigh Whiting Straight Talk with Hank Paulson Leigh Whiting

Straight Talk with Hank Paulson: Bob Rubin

By Robert E. Rubin and Hank Paulson

From growing up in the Midwest to leading Goldman Sachs and then serving his country as Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson offers a unique point of view and a life experience unlike many Americans. With Straight Talk, Hank brings this experience to his conversations with the world’s prominent leaders and thinkers, exchanging a lifetime of stories and lessons from both the private and public sectors. Each episode reveals compelling viewpoints, topical discussion, and behind-the-scenes stories.

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The Atlantic Leigh Whiting The Atlantic Leigh Whiting

Get Rid of the Debt Ceiling Once and for All

By Robert E. Rubin

By now the scenario is familiar, but at the time it was unprecedented: House Republicans, having recently won a majority in the midterm elections, threatened to force the United States to default on its debt unless a Democratic president acceded to their demands.

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The New York Times Leigh Whiting The New York Times Leigh Whiting

A Plan to Help Kids Without Increasing Inflation

By Robert E. Rubin and Jacob J. Lew

We both served as secretary of the Treasury, and we have been associated with economic policies that are fiscally responsible and invest in our future. It is our strong view that Congress should act this year to ease the financial strain on low-income families raising children and that these policies should be paid for in a package that reduces the deficit. This is not just morally right but is also a critical investment in our nation’s economic future.

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The New York Times Leigh Whiting The New York Times Leigh Whiting

Borders Won’t Protect Your Country From Coronavirus

By Robert E. Rubin and David Miliband

The coronavirus has hit the poorest the hardest, but until recently, they have mostly been in wealthy countries. Now, even as the pandemic continues to claim lives in high-income countries — and especially the United States — it’s spreading with ferocity in lower- and middle-income countries. The virus has infected at least 1.5 million people in Brazil and claimed more than 60,000 lives there. India ended June with around 600,000 cases; it started the month with just under 200,000.

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The Washington Post Leigh Whiting The Washington Post Leigh Whiting

America’s debt has exploded. Why does no one care?

By Robert E. Rubin

At a panel I recently moderated in New York about our country’s unsustainable fiscal outlook, someone asked a simple question: So what? Nothing bad has happened despite immense fiscal deterioration — our debt-to-GDP ratio has more than doubled in less than 20 years, from 33 percent in 2000 to 78 percent today, and is on course to reach nearly 100 percent in 10 years and continue rising — so why worry now?

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The New York Times Leigh Whiting The New York Times Leigh Whiting

Philosophy Prepared Me for a Career in Finance and Government

By Robert E. Rubin

When I arrived at Harvard in 1956 as a freshman, I felt overwhelmed academically. Unlike many of my classmates who had gone to rigorous private schools, I graduated from a Florida public school that in those days rarely sent kids to elite colleges in the North. Even after four years of high school French, I couldn’t pass the exam to get out of the entry-level class at Harvard. In math, I was relegated to the remedial course.

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