Investing in Children
Federal investment in children is likely to decline within the next decade, according to a new report from the Urban Institute. Sponsored by the Partnership for America's Economic Success — a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts — the report, Investing in Children (26 pages, PDF), points to large federal programs with built-in growth assumptions to explain why the portion of the federal budget earmarked for children gets progressively smaller. Under current policies, the share of the federal budget earmarked for programs that enhance kids' future productivity or income — by improving education, promoting good health, and/or supporting parents' ability to work — is forecast to decrease from 1.6 percent of GDP in 2006 to 1.3 percent by 2017.
