WHAT: A Capitol Hill briefing on “Children in the Federal Budget

WHEN: Friday July 11, 2008 at 10:00am

WHERE: 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

WHO: Panelists will include:

  • Bruce Lesley
    President, First Focus
  • Eugene Steuerle
    Vice President, Peterson Foundation
    Senior fellow at the Urban Institute
  • Julia Isaacs
    Child & Family Policy Fellow, Brookings Institute
  • David Gray
    Director of the Workforce & Family Program,New America Foundation

On July 11, 2008 First Focus will host a Capitol Hill Briefing to present two newly released reports regarding current spending trends on children in the federal budget. Key findings of the reports will be discussed by a panel of distinguished experts as well as coauthors of the reports.

The two reports featured at the briefing include:

Kids Share 2008 – Published by the Urban Institute and the New America Foundation, with funding from First Focus and Annie E. Casey, this report reveals that over the past several decades, the share of federal spending on children’s programs has steadily declined – falling 22% since 1960.

Children’s Budget 2008 – A comprehensive guide to all federal spending on children published by First Focus, finds that over the past 5 years, only one penny or one percent of every new, real non-defense dollar spent by the federal government has gone to children.

In addition, at the briefing new legislation aimed reversing the findings of this report will be introduced. The Children’s Budget Act, sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), aims to make children a priority in the federal budget by requiring that the President’s annual budget include a separate analysis of all spending on children’s programs.

Related:
Report: Children’s Budget 2008