Hold Children Harmless!
March 13, 2013
Congressman Danny K. Davis sent the following letter today on behalf of the Members of Congress signed below requesting that in upcoming decisions related to the sequester, funding for federal programs, and the debt ceiling negotiations children be held harmless.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable John Boehner The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Democratic Leader
United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives
H-232 The Capitol H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Republican Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
S-221 The Capitol S-230 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. President, Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and Minority Leader McConnell:
As policymakers face decisions to address sequestration, funding the federal government, and the debt limit, we write to champion children as a national priority and ask you to hold children harmless in upcoming decisions. Without knowing the full impact of these policies, we risk weakening the foundation on which our youngest citizens grow into our leaders of tomorrow.
Children make up a quarter of our nation's population, and they form the foundation of our nation's future. They also are some of our most vulnerable citizens. Currently, one in three children relies on foods stamps, eight million children lack health insurance, 1.3 million students drop out of school every year, approximately 2.9 million children with special health care needs rely on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program as their primary source of health care coverage, half of all black children in the United States and nearly two-thirds of low-income black children are covered by Medicaid, 45 percent of families with children report struggling to afford stable housing, and nearly one in every 4 children live in poverty, the largest generation to grow up in hard times since the depression.
We must consider the special importance of children's welfare and ensure that our choices do not harm the young. For example, with sequestration in effect, there will be devastating consequences for our most vulnerable youth, for example: a cut of $353 million to the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children means greater hunger for over 600,000 low-income women and young children; a cut of $120 million in the Child Care and Development Block Grant leaves about 30,000 low-income children of working parents without child care, undermining parents' ability to keep a job and provide for their family; a cut of $400 million for Head Start and Early Head start results in the likely loss of high-quality child care and early education for 70,000 low-income children; a cut of $750 million to Title I grants to school districts to help low-income students threatens 10,500 jobs of teachers and aides; a cut of $600 million for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act risks the jobs of approximately 7,400 special education teachers and aides; and the loss of about 125,000 Section 8 vouchers for low-income housing leaves approximately 312,500 children and adults homeless. Clearly these sequester cuts will have unacceptable harmful effects on children in our nation, and we cannot let them occur. We must also ensure that proposed solutions are not equally as harmful.
We know that deficit reduction cannot and should not be accomplished on the backs of children. We need to hold children and families harmless. Already, spending on children makes up less than 10 percent of total federal spending. A cut from this small slice will barely dent the deficit while having dire consequences for the people who need a helping hand. Decisions to cut particular programs must consider whether those cuts collectively and significantly harm low-income children and youth. Americans oppose balancing the budget on the backs of children and youth. In polling, voters overwhelmingly reject major cuts to K-12 education, child nutrition, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, Head Start, and college student loans.
Children are our most valuable resources. In this time of crisis they must be protected. Careful analysis of our spending decisions today as they affect children and youth will help us improve our efforts for tomorrow. It is in our nation's best interest to raise the healthiest, most educated, best-prepared children in the world for the challenges ahead. As lawmakers, we must champion these programs for all young children so they each have the opportunity to be nourished, educated, and prepared to pursue the American dream. That is why we again ask you to hold children harmless in upcoming decisions related to the sequester, funding for federal programs, and the debt ceiling.
Sincerely,
Danny K. Davis Corrine Brown
John Conyers, Jr. Rosa L. DeLauro
Charles B. Rangel Al Green
Kathy Castor Gene Green
James R. Langevin Mark Pocan
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. Yvette D. Clarke
Carol Shea-Porter Luis V. Gutiérrez
Chaka Fattah José E. Serrano
Matthew A. Cartwright James P. McGovern
Bobby L. Rush David N. Cicilline
Raúl M. Grijalva Frederica S. Wilson
Pete P. Gallego Keith Ellison
Elijah E. Cummings Marcia L. Fudge
Alcee L. Hastings Karen Bass
Michelle Lujan Grisham John Lewis
Lloyd Doggett Beto O'Rourke
Juan Vargas Grace F. Napolitano
Lucille Roybal-Allard Betty McCollum
G. K. Butterfield Bennie G. Thompson
Sheila Jackson Lee Barbara Lee
André Carson Robert A. Brady
Donna M. Christensen George Miller
Judy Chu Maurice D. Hinchey
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable John Boehner The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Democratic Leader
United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives
H-232 The Capitol H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader Republican Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
S-221 The Capitol S-230 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. President, Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and Minority Leader McConnell:
As policymakers face decisions to address sequestration, funding the federal government, and the debt limit, we write to champion children as a national priority and ask you to hold children harmless in upcoming decisions. Without knowing the full impact of these policies, we risk weakening the foundation on which our youngest citizens grow into our leaders of tomorrow.
Children make up a quarter of our nation's population, and they form the foundation of our nation's future. They also are some of our most vulnerable citizens. Currently, one in three children relies on foods stamps, eight million children lack health insurance, 1.3 million students drop out of school every year, approximately 2.9 million children with special health care needs rely on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program as their primary source of health care coverage, half of all black children in the United States and nearly two-thirds of low-income black children are covered by Medicaid, 45 percent of families with children report struggling to afford stable housing, and nearly one in every 4 children live in poverty, the largest generation to grow up in hard times since the depression.
We must consider the special importance of children's welfare and ensure that our choices do not harm the young. For example, with sequestration in effect, there will be devastating consequences for our most vulnerable youth, for example: a cut of $353 million to the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children means greater hunger for over 600,000 low-income women and young children; a cut of $120 million in the Child Care and Development Block Grant leaves about 30,000 low-income children of working parents without child care, undermining parents' ability to keep a job and provide for their family; a cut of $400 million for Head Start and Early Head start results in the likely loss of high-quality child care and early education for 70,000 low-income children; a cut of $750 million to Title I grants to school districts to help low-income students threatens 10,500 jobs of teachers and aides; a cut of $600 million for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act risks the jobs of approximately 7,400 special education teachers and aides; and the loss of about 125,000 Section 8 vouchers for low-income housing leaves approximately 312,500 children and adults homeless. Clearly these sequester cuts will have unacceptable harmful effects on children in our nation, and we cannot let them occur. We must also ensure that proposed solutions are not equally as harmful.
We know that deficit reduction cannot and should not be accomplished on the backs of children. We need to hold children and families harmless. Already, spending on children makes up less than 10 percent of total federal spending. A cut from this small slice will barely dent the deficit while having dire consequences for the people who need a helping hand. Decisions to cut particular programs must consider whether those cuts collectively and significantly harm low-income children and youth. Americans oppose balancing the budget on the backs of children and youth. In polling, voters overwhelmingly reject major cuts to K-12 education, child nutrition, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, Head Start, and college student loans.
Children are our most valuable resources. In this time of crisis they must be protected. Careful analysis of our spending decisions today as they affect children and youth will help us improve our efforts for tomorrow. It is in our nation's best interest to raise the healthiest, most educated, best-prepared children in the world for the challenges ahead. As lawmakers, we must champion these programs for all young children so they each have the opportunity to be nourished, educated, and prepared to pursue the American dream. That is why we again ask you to hold children harmless in upcoming decisions related to the sequester, funding for federal programs, and the debt ceiling.
Sincerely,
Danny K. Davis Corrine Brown
John Conyers, Jr. Rosa L. DeLauro
Charles B. Rangel Al Green
Kathy Castor Gene Green
James R. Langevin Mark Pocan
Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. Yvette D. Clarke
Carol Shea-Porter Luis V. Gutiérrez
Chaka Fattah José E. Serrano
Matthew A. Cartwright James P. McGovern
Bobby L. Rush David N. Cicilline
Raúl M. Grijalva Frederica S. Wilson
Pete P. Gallego Keith Ellison
Elijah E. Cummings Marcia L. Fudge
Alcee L. Hastings Karen Bass
Michelle Lujan Grisham John Lewis
Lloyd Doggett Beto O'Rourke
Juan Vargas Grace F. Napolitano
Lucille Roybal-Allard Betty McCollum
G. K. Butterfield Bennie G. Thompson
Sheila Jackson Lee Barbara Lee
André Carson Robert A. Brady
Donna M. Christensen George Miller
Judy Chu Maurice D. Hinchey