Federal Spending on Children Projected to Drop by 25% In Next Decade
"The Urban Institute projected, Federal spending on children will drop about a quarter within a decade, as appropriations for the elderly and rising interest payments on a soaring national debt will squeeze spending on America’s youth.
Contributing to the drop are congressional budgeting rules that build in increases for entitlements like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, while annual discretionary spending is capped by rules Congress adopted a decade ago. Discretionary programs include funding for low-income public schools, early education programs like Head Start, child welfare and aid for students with disabilities. "The budget illustrates shortcomings in the ability to govern.
Under investment and declining investment in children shows how much we pay attention to immediate consumption, instead of long-term investment,' said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonprofit organization in Washington, during a panel discussion Wednesday organized by the Urban Institute. 'And it is easy to keep it on automatic pilot.'" John Fenderwald, Federal spending on children projected to drop substantially over next decade Urban Institute report underscores need for budgeting reforms" (July 18, 2018)