The AAF Exchange - American Action Forum Podcast

AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring, and Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau join us to discuss the latest economic data, a rescission package, and a possible diesel export ban.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

• In “A Diesel Export Ban Won’t Solve High Fuel Prices,” Pomerleau explains why a diesel export ban won’t solve high fuel prices and suggests more productive ways to ease supply frictions. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/a-diesel-export-ban-wont-solve-high-fuel-prices/

• In “Pocketful of Rescissions,” Holtz-Eakin discusses President Trump’s $810 million pocket rescission and its uncertain legal status. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/pocketful-of-rescissions/

• In “The $810 Million Pocket Rescissions Request: What It Would Cut and Why Its Timing Matters,” Haring provides an overview of the president’s request. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/the-810-million-pocket-rescissions-request-what-it-would-cut-and-why-its-timing-matters/

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On this episode of the AAF Exchange, AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Director of Trade Policy Jacob Jensen discuss the Fed’s latest decision, gas prices, and the U.S.-Canada trade war.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

• In “Slowing AI,” Holtz-Eakin discusses the case for artificial intelligence self-regulation. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/slowing-ai/

• In “Inflation and the Fed,” Holtz-Eakin explains why recent inflation data could keep the Fed from lowering interest rates. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/inflation-and-the-fed/

• In “U.S. Diesel Prices Hit Record High: Factors and Implications,” Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau discusses the causes and implications of the increase in U.S. retail diesel prices. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/u-s-diesel-prices-hit-record-high-factors-and-implications/

• In “U.S.-Canada Trade Interdependence,” Jensen and Shantanu R. Kamat examine the U.S.-Canada trade relationship. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/u-s-canada-trade-interdependence/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Director of Trade Policy Jacob Jensen join us to discuss Medicare for All (again), Iran’s economic D-Day, and the trade war with Canada.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

In “Medicare for All: An Updated Coverage and Budget Analysis,” with renewed attention to Medicare for All, the American Action Forum refreshes its prior assessment of the proposal using updated projections from the Center for Health and Economy. https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/medicare-for-all-an-updated-coverage-and-budget-analysis/

In “USCA Trade Negotiations,” Holtz-Eakin discusses the latest on the trade skirmish between the United States and Canada. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/usca-trade-negotiations/

In “Oil in the Shadows: Dark Shipping Evades Sanctions,” Jensen and Natalie George discuss the impact of dark shipping and possible policy responses. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/oil-in-the-shadows-dark-shipping-evades-sanctions/

In the “U.S. Federal Debt hits $40 trillion,” Holtz-Eakin reacts to the recent federal debt milestone. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l37F2S6BvHA

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin joins us to discuss inflation, interest rates, and intractable debt. 

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

In “The Only Constant in Life,” Holtz-Eakin discusses the latest in the ongoing Boeing-Airbus World Trade Organization dispute that dates back to 2004. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/the-only-constant-in-life/

In “The Yen to Buy Yen,” Holtz-Eakin explains why the U.S. Treasury’s intervention in the Japanese yen may offer temporary relief but cannot fix the underlying economic problem. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/the-yen-to-buy-yen/

In the “CPI July 2026,” Holtz-Eakin reacts to the latest read on inflation. https://x.com/AAF/status/2087518706389684313

In “Examining the Consequences of a High and Rising National Debt,” Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring describes the consequences of the United States’ high and rising national debt. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/examining-the-consequences-of-a-high-and-rising-national-debt/

Also discussed: Check out The Peterson Foundation’s debt clock, 40trillionnationaldebt.org, and register your guess for when the debt will hit $40 trillion. https://40trillionnationaldebt.org/

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On this episode of the AAF Exchange, AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Director of Trade Policy Jacob Jensen discuss the latest on the economy and the Federal Reserve, ongoing developments involving Hugging Face, and why new tariffs may lead to the same familiar challenges.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

In the “Weekly Economic Tracker,” Holtz-Eakin breaks down this week’s economic news. https://x.com/AAF/status/2082849347998224541?s=20

In “The Hugging Face Incident,” Holtz-Eakin discusses the potential implications of the Hugging Face cybersecurity incident on Congress’ approach to regulating AI. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/the-hugging-face-incident/

In “Do Tariffs Ever Really Die?” Trade Policy Analyst Jacob Jensen explains and analyzes the biggest news in international trade. https://www.americanactionforum.org/shipment/do-tariffs-ever-really-die/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Director of Competition Policy Fred Ashton join us to discuss spectrum auctions, Congress' to-do list for the remainder of 2026, and the launch of Trump Accounts.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

• In “Trump Accounts,” Holtz-Eakin considers the wisdom of new tax-advantaged investment accounts created on behalf of newborns. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/trump-accounts-2/

• In “Upgrading the Wireless Spectrum Infrastructure,” Holtz-Eakin explains the importance of auctioning spectrum in the upper C-band. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/upgrading-the-wireless-spectrum-infrastructure/

• In “A FY 2027 Appropriations Progress Report,” Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring reviews the status of federal appropriations for the coming fiscal year. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/a-fy-2027-appropriations-progress-report/

• In “The Trump Administration’s $87.6-billion Supplemental Funding Request,” Haring walks through the administration’s supplemental funding request for the conflict in the Middle East, among other things. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/the-trump-administrations-87-6-billion-supplemental-funding-request/

• In "Trump Accounts Are Here: What to Know," Director of Competition Policy Fred Ashton considers the structure of these accounts and concludes there are simpler alternatives to achieve the same policy goals. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/trump-accounts-are-here-what-to-know/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin joins us to discuss Social Security’s looming insolvency, AI’s growing energy demands, and the economic outlook.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

• In “Scoring the Coming Social Security Reforms,” Holtz-Eakin discusses how to evaluate Social Security reform proposals. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/scoring-the-coming-social-security-reforms/

• In “Productivity and the Fed,” Holtz-Eakin considers current productivity trends ahead of the May inflation data release. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/productivity-and-the-fed/

• In the “Weekly Economic Tracker,” Holtz-Eakin breaks down this week’s economic news. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rrmHpYkeyoA

• In “FERC Data Center Orders Accelerate Grid Connection,” Director of Energy and Environmental Policy Shuting Pomerleau explains how Federal Energy Regulatory Commission action may reshape the AI data center landscape. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/ferc-data-center-orders-accelerate-grid-connection/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin joins us to discuss the near- and longer-term economic forecast and the new Federal Reserve.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:    

• In “The Fed’s Problem,” Holtz-Eakin provides the latest on inflation. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/whats-up-with-the-global-oil-market/

• In “What’s Up With the Global Oil Market?” Holtz-Eakin discusses the latest on the oil market. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/the-feds-problem

• In “Some Savings and a Glimmer of Sunsetting,” Director of Regulatory Policy Dan Goldbeck reviews the most significant recent rulemakings. https://www.americanactionforum.org/week-in-regulation/some-savings-and-a-glimmer-of-sunsetting/

• In “Trade As Foreign Policy,” Holtz-Eakin considers the administration’s defensive trade policies. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/trade-as-foreign-policy/

• In “The Shipment,” Trade Policy Analyst Jacob Jensen explains and analyzes the biggest news in international trade. https://www.americanactionforum.org/shipment/usmca-negotiations-and-tariff-refunds-updates/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin joins us to discuss the latest tariff smack-down, global economic uncertainty, and Congress’ to-do list.

AAF products mentioned in today’s episode:

• In “A Gas Tax Holiday Is No Picnic,” Holtz-Eakin considers the President Trump’s futile idea of a gas tax holiday. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/a-gas-tax-holiday-is-no-picnic/

• In “Counting the Costs of the Iran War,” Holtz-Eakin discusses the economic costs of the ongoing Iran war. https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/counting-the-costs-of-the-iran-war/

• In “Senate Releases $72 Billion Reconciliation Package,” Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring walks through the combined Senate reconciliation package and its funding for immigration enforcement agencies. https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/senate-releases-72-billion-reconciliation-package/

• In “The Shipment,” Trade Policy Analyst Jacob Jensen explains and analyzes the biggest news in international trade. https://www.americanactionforum.org/shipment/tariff-court-cases-and-china-trade-negotiations/

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AAF President Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Director of Fiscal Policy Jordan Haring join us to discuss the current and future Federal Reserve, and using reconciliation to break the Department of Homeland Security funding logjam.

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Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7aWwYw3EKPmTqLQMbRGR2e