Children’s Budget 2009

Posted by on November 2, 2009

Federal “Children’s Budget” released

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, the report includes a special analysis of investments in children provided through the economic recovery package, known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. 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.

The guide is available online here.

http://www.firstfocus.net/pages/3631