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First Focus on Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. As an organization dedicated to promoting the safety and well-being of all children in the United States, we strongly urge that the Census Bureau’s Official Poverty Measure (OPM) continue to be annually adjusted by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).

A change to the use of chained CPI or the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCEPI) could greatly underestimate the number of children and families living in poverty and jeopardize their eligibility for programs that support healthy child development. With children experiencing poverty at a rate that is 62 percent higher than adults, our nation’s children and youth stand to lose the most if this change is enacted.

See our full comment letter.

Learn more about how the proposal to adjust the OPM calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau that could underestimate the number of children and families living in poverty.