The Honorable Jim Nussle

Ever wonder how things do or don’t get done in Washington? What rises to the level of the Oval Office? What really happens on Capitol Hill? What occurs in legislative negotiations? How do those crazy projects make it in to law? Jim Nussle has been in the inner circle of some of the great leaders of our time — at some of the great moments in our time. He served on the senior staff and in the Cabinet of the Bush White House. He co-wrote the Contract with America that brought Republicans into an historic House majority. And he was a member of the Gang of Seven that exposed one of the greatest scandals in the history of the House of Representatives. Jim reveals the secrets about how things get done in Washington, and identifies the key moments and turning points in these and other historic political events

Jim Nussle has served in many leadership capacities in his career from Congressman to Chairman of a powerful Congressional committee to a Member of the Cabinet. He has negotiated trillion dollar budgets, spearheaded critical legislative achievements, and led an effort to reveal the scandal that closed the House Bank. He has also learned from other impressive leaders – two Speakers of the House and the President of the United States. Jim will share his experience and thoughts on leadership, leadership styles, how you can get results and what lessons he’s learned that will translate to your organization

Ever wonder how policies and laws actually get made? As a veteran federal policy maker, Jim Nussle shares an inside look at both legislative and administrative branches of government. He knows how both branches work, how they interact and the powers they possess. He also understands how policy initiatives get derailed or blocked. He will include a discussion of the federal regulatory framework and the role of the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB).

Learn how the $3 trillion budget that keeps our country running really works. As former Chairman of the House Budget Committee in Congress and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House, Jim Nussle will reveal the inside story on the Federal budget process from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Who’s really in charge of the budget process? How do budget negotiations between the Congress and the White House really happen? What’s the difference between an authorization and an appropriation? How can your organization best participate in the setting of funding priorities and programmatic decisions-making? Jim is able to explain in layman terms how our complicated budget process works and how citizens can best be involved with the process.

Is your organization spinning with questions about health care reform, bailouts, and whether or not to raise the debt ceiling? As the most recent former Director of the White House Office of Management & Budget and a member of the President’s National Economic Council, no one is in a better position to talk about the country’s economic situation crisis than Jim Nussle. Get a better understanding of the historic Obama budget, and hear from the guy who was a recent Chief Budget Officer to get the clearest perspective on what this budget reveals about the Obama Administration and its policies. Some have said this budget represents the single largest change in direction for the country since the 1940s. Tax increases, new spending priorities, new healthcare policy, changes in key deductions — what does it all mean and how will it affect my family, my business, my community? Jim breaks it all down and explains the good, the bad and the ugly of the new President’s budget.

A trillion here and a trillion there and pretty soon you’re talking about real money! The original famous quote is attributed to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen back in 1960 in Des Moines, Iowa when he said a million here and a million there? It’s always been about real money; your money. But the way some in Washington speak about our important and challenging fiscal predicament you might think they were speaking a foreign language or deliberately trying to confuse. With our nation’s leaders from both parties unable to construct a federal budget for the past three years; with annual deficits climbing to more than a trillion dollars; and our national debt now greater than our entire economy at fifteen trillion dollars, gaining perspective, context and clarity on our nation’s fiscal matters is paramount. Jim Nussle has federal budget experience from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue at the highest levels of our government and will provide you that fiscal perspective in a way you will understand and even better be able to explain to clients and colleagues; he will put the national challenges in context so you can make more informed analysis about future policy decisions, and will provide candor and clarity to the often frustrating and confusing political processes of Washington.