, vice president and director of at Brookings and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow, analyzes the top economic issues facing the United States in the upcoming year. Also in this episode, on what Congress left unfinished before their holiday recess and the additions of Senators Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in our regular “What’s Happening in Congress” segment, and answers a question from a listener. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts  or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at  on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the .