WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over the past five years only one penny of every new, real non-defense dollar spent by the federal government goes to children, a new publication by First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization revealed today.

The book, entitled Children’s Budget 2008, was made possible with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is an analysis of the over 180 federally funded programs that are aimed at enhancing the well-being of our nation’s children, and how their appropriations levels have changed over the past five years. After adjusting for inflation, Children’s Budget 2008 finds that just one percent of all new spending since fiscal year 2004 is helping American kids.

“We embarked on this project to identify the standing of our children in the federal budget, and were shocked by the results,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus. “Despite increases in federal spending over the past five years, the share for children has dropped dramatically. Virtually every program that benefits kids depends on a core federal investment that has diminished in recent years.”

The key findings of the report include:

  • For the past five years, only one penny of every new, non-defense dollar spent by the federal government has gone to children and children’s programs.
  • Children’s spending now makes up only ten percent of the entire non-defense budget.
  • The overall share of federal, non-defense spending going to children’s programs has dropped by 10 percent over the past five years.
  • Real discretionary spending on children has declined by more than 6 percent since 2004, while at the same time all other non-defense discretionary spending has increased by more than 8 percent.

The report also shows that over the past five years, spending on children’s education has been stagnant, resulting in a real decrease in the value of education funding. Further, nearly 70 education programs have suffered real cuts over the past five years, leading to a 10 percent funding decrease, in real terms.

“One penny out of every new dollar is not sufficient for our nation’s children,” Lesley added. “As the 2008 elections approach, voters should hold politicians accountable by ensuring that the percentage of expenditures on kids does not continue plunging downward. If this trend is not reversed, a continued budget squeeze on children’s programs will spell disaster for kids in the long term. It’s time to invest in our nation’s future and to once again make children a national priority.”