September 30, 2009

Children's Budget 2009

First Focus, a bipartisan advocacy organization, sought to evaluate United States funding for children's services. The report provides data on the 2004-2009 funding trends for all budgetary programs relating to children. They found that overall, although the absolute dollar value of funding has increased, discretionary spending on children has declined by about one percent. Mandatory spending on children has increased by 14.3% from $137.4 billion in fiscal year 2005 to $173.2 billion in fiscal year 2009. Issue areas include child welfare, education, child health, housing, income support, and nutrition. First Focus also reviewed stimulus spending on children provided by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.