WASHINGTON D.C. – Yesterday, for the first time, the Senate Budget Committee acknowledged that a separate accounting of federal investments in children will have enormous benefit for the well-being of our nation’s young people. Spearheaded by Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the language calls on the Office of Management and Budget to begin formulating plans to collect and categorize the federal sources of funding for all children’s programs in what would lay the groundwork for creation of a “children’s budget.”
The language was included in yesterday’s committee report, which complements the budget resolution passed by the Budget Committee last week.
“We commend Senator Menendez and the Senate Budget Committee for their efforts to make children a priority in the federal budget,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus. “An annual analysis of federal spending on children is a simple and inexpensive way to bring awareness to federal investments in our nation’s future. Indeed, the Budget Committee has taken an important first step towards the creation of a children’s budget, which will allow us to hold policymakers accountable for ensuring that children remain a top concern.”
Federal funding intended to improve the well-being of American children is currently housed across many federal departments and agencies, and is allocated through many different appropriations bills. The proposed analysis would collect the diverse sources of funding for children’s programs in a unified place, communicating a clear picture of the federal investment in America’s young people.
The language reads, “The Committee notes that federal efforts to safeguard and improve the lives of children are housed in many disparate departments and agencies. An analysis of these programs would afford a better understanding of how our children’s needs are being met. The Committee encourages the Office of Management and Budget to consult with relevant Congressional Committees to assess how best to track this spending and its effect on the well-being of children.”
Last Congress, Senator Menendez introduced the Children’s Budget Act, which would have required the president’s annual budget request to include a children’s budget.
Lesley added, “Doing better for our children tomorrow starts with knowing how we’re doing today. Children make up only one-quarter of our population, but they are all of our future. Meeting their needs requires that we take stock in our efforts. We urge the Office of Management and Budget to follow the advice of the Senate Finance Committee and to ensure the implementation of this analysis for children.”
In 2008, First Focus released Children’s Budget 2008, a comprehensive analysis of federal spending on children over the past five years, and a publication similar to what is being called for the Budget Committee and the Children’s Budget Act. After accounting for federal spending on kids, the report found that only one penny of every new, non-defense dollar spent by the federal government has gone to children’s programs. First Focus has also launchedwww.childrensbudget.org, which provides customizable breakdowns of the budget as it relates to kids.