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First Focus Releases Children's Budget 2008 |
First Focus, a bipartisan advocacy organization launched by America's Promise Alliance that is committed to making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions, recently released Children’s Budget 2008, a comprehensive guide to the more than 180 different programs funded by the federal government that affect the lives of America’s children.
The comprehensive report analyzes federal spending on children over the past five years and is a valuable resource for advocates, policymakers, program administrators and anyone seeking to improve the lives of children and youth. Programs are organized into broad categories such as child heath and education, allowing the user to compare investments in children across policy areas.
The key findings are startling:
- For the past five years, only one penny 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 only 10 percent of the entire non-defense budget.
- The overall share of federal, non-defense spending going to children’s programs has dropped by ten percent over the past five years.
- Real discretionary spending on children has declined by more than six percent since 2004, while at the same time all other non-defense discretionary spending has increased by more than eight percent.
The report is a unique resource, offering:
- Program descriptions.
- Current appropriation levels.
- Funding levels from the past five fiscal years.
- Proposed funding levels for the coming fiscal year.
- The change over time in funding as a percentage of growth (both in nominal and inflation adjusted terms).
- Highlights of specific programs, drawing attention to their significant role in the lives of children.
For more information about the Children’s Budget 2008, to request a copy of the publication, or to download the report, visit the First Focus web site at http://www.firstfocus.net.
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