President Trump’s 2027 budget proposal, released Friday, sacrifices babies for bombs and billionaires, slashing critical programs for children and families to pay for defense and tax cuts for the wealthy.
Children represent nearly a quarter of the population, but receive just 8.57% of all government spending. First Focus on Children’s analysis of the top 20 largest discretionary programs that benefit kids found that investments in these programs would fall by $5.826 billion, or 5.73% under the White House’s proposed budget when compared to FY 2025. Some of these programs were fully eliminated, and of those still funded, many received cuts. For example, the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) (- $ 200M), SummerEBT (- $ 591M), and Project-Based Rental Assistance (- $ 248.3M) all received cuts when compared to FY 2026, risking harm to children’s development, safety and well-being. Other important programs for kids are slated to be flat-funded in the proposal, including Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which results in a funding cut in real dollars.*
“Today’s budget request shows a profound lack of concern by the President and his White House for our nation’s children,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus on Children. “Research has continually proven that investing in children at the early stages of their life will lead to better health, education, and financial outcomes. Despite being one of the best investments we can make, this president is choosing to prioritize agencies like ICE and CBP which have repeatedly issued documented harm against our kids, as well as a stunning level of funding for the Department of Defense.”
The budget request also asks Congress to eliminate many programs key to the health, development, and safety of children. Notably, it zeroes out:
- McGovern Dole Food for Education Program which provides food and financial assistance to low-income countries to support primary education, child development, and food security. By providing school meals and teacher training, programs boost school enrollment, attendance, and academic performance in vulnerable communities.
- Teacher Quality Partnerships which issues grants meant to reduce the shortages of qualified teachers in high-need school districts and improve the quality of the current and future teaching force.
- The English Language Acquisition Program that ensures that English language learner (ELL) children learn academic English, develop high levels of academic achievement, and meet the same challenging state academic standards as all children in an effort to close achievement gaps between ELL children and their peers.
- Preschool Development Grants, which assist states in data collection, research, infrastructure development, and other quality initiatives that improve the provision of child care.
- Child Care Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) helps low-income student parents enrolled in higher education access child care. More than 20% of all undergraduate students are raising children, but at current funding and award levels, the program only supports a fraction of the student parents who rely on child care to succeed in school.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that assists families with energy costs to keep them safe and healthy.
- Job Corps that provides young people education and vocational training along with assistance in job placement and career counseling.
- Development Assistance, the Economic Support Fund, and Migration and Refugee Assistance that provide support for many of the most vulnerable children around the world.
“After a year of attacks on children, enacting the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in program history, and the President’s most recent comments on not being able to address child care and Medicaid due to his war in Iran, this budget request comes as no surprise to child advocates,” Lesley continued. “Still, it is alarming and disappointing to see this lack of care for children confirmed in tables and charts.”
First Focus on Children remains steadfast in our commitment to advocating for a federal budget that supports the nation’s kids. Congress must reject this proposal and work in a bipartisan fashion to enact a budget that offers real solutions for children and families.See the table below for program specifics.
*Numbers and programs have been updated as of 04/06/2026 based on newly issued Congressional justifications.
| Program | Spending on Kids, 2025 | Spending on Kids, 2026 | Spending on Kids, President’s Budget | Change from 2026 to President’s Budget 2027 |
| Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies | $ 18.407 B | N/A | $ 18.427 B | N/A |
| IDEA B – Grants to States | $ 14.214 B | N/A | $ 15.401 B | N/A |
| Head Start and Early Head Start | $ 12.272 B | $ 12.357 B | $ 12.357 B | $ 0.00 |
| Tenant Based Rental Assistance (Discretionary) | $ 11.894 B | $ 12.685 B | $ 12.819 B | $ 134.5 M |
| Child Care and Development Block Grant (Discretionary) | $ 8.746 B | $ 8.831 B | $ 8.831 B | $ 0.00 |
| Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) | $ 7.598 B | $ 8.201 B | $ 8.001 B | – $ 200.0 M |
| Project Based Rental Assistance (Discretionary) | $ 4.645 B | $ 5.099 B | $ 4.851 B | – $ 248.3 M |
| Unaccompanied Children Program | $ 4.160 B | $ 4.243 B | $ 3.424 B | – $ 819.0 M |
| Summer EBT Benefits | $ 3.612 B | $ 4.016 B | $ 3.425 B | – $ 591.1 M |
| Public Housing Fund | $ 3.326 B | $ 3.141 B | $ 3.255 B | $ 114.2 M |
| Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants | $ 2.190 B | N/A | $ 0.00 | N/A |
| National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) | $ 1.759 B | $ 1.780 B | $ 1.651 B | – $ 129.0 M |
| Impact Aid | $ 1.625 B | $ 1.630 B | $ 1.630 B | $ 0.00 |
| Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants | $ 1.380 B | N/A | $ 0.00 | N/A |
| Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers | $ 1.330 B | N/A | $ 0.00 | N/A |
| Indian Education | $ 1.070 B | $ 1.132 B | $ 894.0 M | – $ 238.0 M |
| Homeless Assistance Grants | $ 915.5 M | $ 998.2 M | $ 909.4 M | – $ 88.8 M |
| English Language Acquisition State Grants | $ 890.0 M | N/A | $ 0.00 | N/A |
| Career and Technical Education Grants to States | $ 863.9 M | N/A | $ 0.00 | N/A |
| Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | $ 805.0 M | $ 809.0 M | $ 0.00 | – $ 809.0 M |