The federal government funds over 180 different children’s programs, from child health and education to child welfare and juvenile justice. Children’s Budget 2009 is a comprehensive guide to all federal spending on children and an invaluable resource for all those seeking to improve the lives of America’s youth.
This year, Children’s Budget includes a special analysis of investments in children provided through the economic recovery package, known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Within the $787 billion ARRA package, almost $144 billion went to children’s programs. This investment accounted for 18 percent of ARRA spending, a significant increase for America’s children. In fact, Children’s Budget 2009 reveals that all other federal spending on children accounts for less than ten percent of the entire non-defense budget.
The key findings of Children’s Budget 2009 include:
- For the past five years, less than one nickel out of every new, real non-defense dollar spent by the federal government has gone to children and children’s programs.
- Children’s spending makes up less than ten percent of the entire non-defense budget.
- The overall share of federal, non-defense spending going to children’s programs has dropped by twelve percent over the past five years.
- Real discretionary spending on children has declined by one percent since 2005, while at the same time all other non-defense discretionary spending has increased by 4 percent.