Event Recap
This week, the NewDEAL Forum was thrilled to host policymakers and partners from the public and private sectors to discuss how to make government work better and share advice for navigating the second Trump Administration. In a series of insightful panels and dynamic breakout sessions, attendees talked about the economic challenges facing states and cities, building for the future with smart housing goals, using AI to improve government efficiency, how to communicate effectively with constituents about their biggest concerns, and much more.
We were also inspired by six speakers from around the country who addressed attendees virtually, including: former U.S. Transportation Secretary and NewDEAL Alum Pete Buttigieg, former New Orleans Mayor and Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock. They shared messages encouraging attendees to make the most of this year's convening to strategize thoughtful and pragmatic responses to the chaos happening at the federal level. You can watch their remarks here.
If you weren't able to join us, check out our event recap below and be sure to watch the video recordings from each of the plenary sessions.
Day 1: making Government Work Better
NewDEAL Leader Georgia State Representative Scott Holcomb drew an artful comparison between the history of his home state and the current challenges facing our nation. "Georgia has endured and overcome demagogues, and we've also benefitted from inspiring and visionary leaders," he said. "We meet at a moment when the idea of America and what we stand for is being tested again."
NewDEAL Forum CEO Debbie Cox Bultan encouraged the assembled policymakers and partners to be bold in addressing the challenges our nation faces. "I don’t think that there is one right way to respond in these unprecedented times," she said. "There is not a 'right way' to fight back. We need authentic voices. We all need to be willing to speak our minds and our hearts, even if that is not in lock step with everyone else."
Keynote Conversation with Marc Dunkelman
Bultan joined in conversation with Marc Dunkelman, author of Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress–And How to Bring It Back. They focused on the day's theme, "Making Government Work Better," and unpacked some of the key arguments of Dunkelman's book, which documents how progressives' competing instincts to centralize and diffuse political power have stifled progress. "We harbor both these instincts, and we need to think thoroughly about to what degree we want to push in one direction or the other and how we balance the two as we try to solve problems of all sorts," he said.
Solutions to Support Economic Opportunity & Security
NewDEAL Leader Fulton County, GA, Commissioner Dana Barrett led a panel conversation with Tahra Hoops (Chamber of Progress), Eloisa Klementich (Invest Atlanta), and Sharon Wilson Géno (National Multifamily Housing Council) on the barriers to building more housing and creating economic opportunity. Panelists discussed issues like threats from the Trump Administration to federal funds and cumbersome permitting processes, highlighting how they have made it more difficult to deliver real results to communities nationwide.
Fireside Chat with Stacey Abrams
Co-host of the An Honorable Profession podcast Ryan Coonerty moderated an inspiring conversation with NewDEAL Alumna and former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. Abrams called on elected leaders to hold their ground on their values and shared advice for crafting an effective, voter-centered message. "Your first question is 'what’s the problem, why is it a problem, and how do you solve it?'" she said. "So often in [government] we start at the end. We need to have a clear idea of what is the problem."
Solutions to Support Elected Officials
Executive Director of Work For America Caitlin Lewis led a panel focused on supporting elected officials and their teams with NewDEAL Leader Utah State Senator Stephanie Pitcher and Marguerite Jimenez from the States Project. They focused on challenges like low pay and limited childcare options for lawmakers, as well as how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help to streamline constituent services and recruit and retain staff. "Despite these chaotic times and so much instability, we’re also going through a critical transformation with AI and all the tools it offers," Senator Pitcher said. "There’s an... opportunity for us to lean into these tools in a way that’s more efficient."
How to Approach Difficult Conversations
Mediator Adar Cohen led attendees through an exercise focused on creating connections across ideological divides and communicating thoughtfully with community members and voters who feel misunderstood. "When we try to make others feel more understood, we are directly contributing to democracy’s most precious resource: our ability to talk to each other," Cohen said.
Day 2: Navigating the New Federal Reality
NewDEAL Leader Georgia State Senator Jason Esteves pointed out that, while President Trump grows increasingly unpopular, leaders who want to offer an alternative must do better to show Americans they can deliver on the top issues facing our nation, from affordability to housing to public education. "It’s on all of us… to make sure that we're not only talking about the issues that they wanna listen to and hear about, but that we’re actually getting stuff done," he said.
Federal Funding: Fact Vs. Fiction
NewDEAL Leader and Columbus, OH, City Attorney Zach Klein led a panel on the impacts of the Trump Administration's funding cuts. Panelists NewDEAL Alumnus Andy Berke, Jillian Blanchard (Lawyers for Good Governance), and Caitlin Durkovich spoke about threatening executive orders that have prompted litigation around key infrastructure, green energy, and workforce projects, and what federal funding options remain. Blanchard explained that congressionally-mandated funds for states and localities through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are still available until Congress changes those laws.
How Democrats Lost the Middle
Third Way Executive Vice President for Policy Jim Kessler offered an insightful presentation on changing voter demographics, what Democrats missed in their 2024 campaign for the White House, and how they can pivot strategies for 2026 and beyond. In particular, he pointed to Democrats' over-reliance on college-educated whites, and their inability to speak to lived experiences of many Americans whose economic reality, like jobs with hourly wages, is too often unaddressed in messaging. Above all, he urged the audience to "stop telling people what the most important issue is and start listening to them, asking them, and believing them."
Defending Democracy in 2025
NewDEAL Alumna and attorney Jen Jordan led a conversation on the threats facing American democracy with NewDEAL Leaders Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Jefferson County, CO, Clerk & Recorder Amanda Gonzalez. The trio championed transparent procedures for casting and processing ballots, as Gonzalez highlighted her office's approach of "inviting people in" to tour elections operations and answering good-faith questions. The panel also addressed the challenges following federal cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency with Secretary Fontes pointing out the new burdens on state and local election workers.
Economic Outlook for States and Cities
NewDEAL Leader Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler moderated the final panel of the Ideas Summit with NewDEALer Oakland County, MI, Executive Dave Coulter and McLarty's Kellie Meiman Hock, focusing on the impacts of tariffs and other Trump economic policies on communities across the country. When it comes to communicating the dangers of these policies, panelists urged the audience to also offer solutions. "We gotta acknowledge the pain, acknowledge the economic reality, [and] not only say that what Donald Trump is doing is wrong but that we can help," Coulter said.