The detailed guide Children’s Budget 2014, issued on June 24 by First Focus (www.firstfocus.net), reports that only about 8 percent of the federal budget is invested in children. Furthermore, over a five-year period, real overall funding for kids has dropped almost 15 percent (total government spending has dropped 8 percent over this period). In spite of strong public support for children’s programs, the share of federal funding dedicated to children is expected to decline over the long-term.
The analysis by the bipartisan children’s advocacy organization looks at the nearly 200 specific federal investments in children, ranging from broad education programs to specific programs addressing child abuse. It includes the traditional child welfare programs as well as programs that impact children such as housing supports and Social Security.
The report provides the funding history for federal spending on specific children’s programs from 2010-2014 and the Obama Administration’s budget proposal for each program in the 2015 budget. It also includes the cumulative percentage increase or decrease in each program over the five-year period. Both mandatory spending programs, such as Medicaid, and discretionary programs, such as the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, are included in the analysis.
Many of the programs have specific application for preventing and treating trauma in children as outlined in last year’s Dear State Director letter issued by HHS on July 11. The Children’s Budget 2014 report helps us understand recent federal priorities and highlights where investments are being made. Between 2010-2014, many discretionary programs were cut significantly, including the Child Welfare Services program (-12.1%) and Promoting Safe and Stable Families
(-14.5%). A rare exception is an increase in funding for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, up 3.9% over the five-year period.
In the introduction to the budget document, First Focus President Bruce Lesley made a clear case for investing in our children’s futures:
"Our choice in these difficult economic times is not just whether to spend or cut, but whether to choose knowledge over conventional wisdom. Will we put money in programs that pay off? Quality early childhood program for disadvantaged children are not 'entitlements' or bottomless wells of social spending. They foster human potential and they improve our economic productivity in the process."
Child advocate and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) praised the work of First Focus and the groups in the room that support programs to improve children’s futures. As a member of the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities that met recently in San Antonio, Doggett noted the importance of prevention as part of the commission’s agenda. He is the ranking member of the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over issues such as childcare, child and family services, child support, foster care, adoption, and unemployment compensation.
In his introductory remarks (Click here to download Lesley's presentation), Lesley reviewed the major findings of the report and the survey data that demonstrate overwhelming support for investments in children’s programs. In spite of this support, current funding levels are eroding programs, and prospects for stronger future investments are dim, he said. Children’s share of the federal budget has declined by nearly 6% since 2010 ($13 billion), he noted. When adjusted for inflation, funding for children is down $33 billion or 14% over the last five years.
Lesley also pointed out that, for the first time in more than three decades, funding for our nation’s schools declined last year. Cuts in education, along with other programs known to reduce poverty, are being made at both the federal and state levels.
The summit featured a keynote address by Ronald Brownstein, CNN’s senior political and election analyst and the political director of Atlantic Media Company, publisher of National Journal and The Atlantic. He made the surprising observation that this year’s graduating class is the last to be majority white. He said the demographic change is not just in cities you might expect such as Dallas and Phoenix, but also Salt Lake City and Des Moines, Iowa. He described the polarization that exists at the federal level, the high degree of party-line voting, and the growing burden of maintaining the safety net for the elderly. He expressed the urgent need to recognize the interdependence of the “brown” (referring to the emerging non-white majority) and the “gray” (elderly) cohorts.
A presentation on public support for children's issues by David Kanevsky, research director at American Viewpoint, a national political strategy and opinion research firm, highlighted the broad public support for children’s programs across age groups and family characteristics (parents vs. non-parents). His research shows that moderates and even Tea Party supporters oppose cuts that impact children. The majority of those polled say that the last decade has not been beneficial for children. Click here to download American Viewpoint Research Director David Kanevsky's presentation.
A panel discussion on opportunities for collaboration among children's advocates featured Dennis Johnson, executive vice president for Policy and Advocacy at the Children's Health Fund; Steve Taylor, senior vice president and counsel for Public Policy at United Way Worldwide; Marc Egan, associate director of government relations at the National Education Association; and Elyssa Koidin Schmier, National Budget campaign director at MomsRising. Here is a link to the video of the Children's Budget Summit 2014.
Lesley concluded the foreword to the budget report with this succinct statement: “As adults we must stand up for our children and demand that our political leaders live up to their commitments and promises to the next generation. The fact is that we can no longer afford not to.” Hear, hear.
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