Hello from the Heartland. My name is Jenna, and this is Smarter News, news when it matters and why it matters.

Our Smarter series features unique people who help us think and live smarter.

Well, today I'm really excited to have a step back, deep breath conversation about what's going on with debt in America, which is a very big topic.

And obviously, we've talked a lot about it over the last several weeks talking about the debt ceiling deal, as we've been referring to it.

But this has opened up a broader conversation about, well, what is the state of fiscal health in the United States of America?

Like, what should we actually know, not only about the deal, but about some of these broader

undercurrents that are part of the deal as well? And so we have a great guest today.

Maya McGinnis is joining us. She's the president of the committee for a responsible federal

budget. I've interviewed

Maya over the years because not only is she an amazing source of information when it comes to

anything regarding the fiscal health of the United States, she's one of the only sources out

there that actually is part of a bipartisan nonprofit so that can really kind of walk the line

and give us some great perspective on what's happening and why it matters, which is the whole

point of smarter news. So before we jumped on, you were telling me that you've been with

the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget for some time now. And you actually remember the day when you joined the organization.

So tell us a little bit about that and how you got started even becoming an expert on this topic.

Okay, I will tell you.

And it's nice to join you on this.

Yeah, I have been doing this work for 20 years.

How time flies.

And, well, the reason I remember was because I actually accepted the job the same day I found

out I was pregnant with my first child.

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