Members of the Children’s Budget Coalition, comprising over 80 advocacy organizations dedicated to prioritizing children and families in federal policy and budget decisions, sent the following letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urging them to commit at least an additional percentage point of federal spending for children in the months and years ahead.
Excerpt from the letter:
The children’s share of federal spending over the past five years has declined by nearly one-tenth, falling from 8.19% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 to 7.48% in FY 2020. As a result, we now spend more on interest payments on the national debt than we do on investments in our children. Even outside of the pandemic, child poverty has remained stubbornly high while too many children go hungry, without adequate child care, and lack proper health care. This problem is exacerbated for children from communities of color, which disproportionately have been impacted by the pandemic and were already facing systemic inequity compared to their white peers. As President Biden notably said, “Don’t tell me what you value – show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.” It is clear that over the past several years, children have not been valued in federal budget decisions. We urge you to make it a top priority to change that during your presidency.