WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Barack Obama released an outline of his fiscal year 2010 budget. First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, lauded the outline for its investments in children and families.
Specifically, First Focus was pleased to see that President Obama’s budget proposes to take the following action regarding programs related to children:
• Make permanent improvements to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit that were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act;
• Create a Nurse Home Visitation Program that will, over 5 years, be funded at nearly $1.9 billion;
• Extend the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program supplemental grants by $1.3 billion over five years;
• A 55 percent increase to the Department of Education’s discretionary budget by 2014, including a strong commitment to early childhood education
• Allocate $900 million over five years in mandatory money for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which prevents homelessness by renovating and creating rental housing for low income families
First Focus President Bruce Lesley made the following remarks:
“In 2008, Americans called for change to our federal policies regarding children and families. This budget signifies a great first step; placing an increased emphasis on investments in programs that will help the next generation fare better than their parents.
“President Obama’s budget has made great strides for America’s struggling children and families. We are pleased to see such a priority placed on our nation’s future, as children’s spending has remained flat or even fallen behind for too long. The increased investments we are able to glean from President Obama’s budget outline indicates a strong effort to put our nation’s children on a positive path toward healthy, productive lives.
“As Members of Congress and political pundits debate the merits of this budget, low-income families are still struggling to make ends meet, child poverty is growing, and unemployment is increasing. These substantial investments in key programs such as food stamps, early childhood education, assistance to needy families, and affordable housing will help mitigate the adverse impacts of the recession by easing the financial burdens of parents and states, while also taking critical steps towards economic recovery.
“Moreover, permanent improvements to the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit will distribute resources directly to low income families who will use them in the economy immediately, providing effective economic stimulus that also keeping our children out of poverty, saving money in the long term. We are grateful that the President recognizes the importance of this program to children and families.”