How Children Fare in the Federal Budget
From the Urban Institute
Abstract
Kids’ Share 2008, a second annual report, looks comprehensively at trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children. Key findings suggest that historically children have not been a budget priority. In 2007, this trend continued, as children’s spending did not keep pace with GDP growth. Absent a policy change, children’s spending will continue to be squeezed in the next decade.
Introduction
As children are the country’s future workers, parents, and citizens, the federal government has directed resources to ensure their well-being and to help them develop their potential. So, as a nation, we devote federal resources to publicly educate kids, ensure their basic needs, develop their potential, and help protect their families from financial hardship. These resources are the “kids’ share” of our federal budget, allotted through direct spending on programs or through tax breaks. By tracking the changes in the children’s budget, we can take stock of our national priorities. We tracked federal spending on children from 1960 through 2018 based on actual budget outlays and projections of spending under current policies. We charted the relative changes—and therefore, the shifting national emphases—between children’s spending and spending on other priorities. We also examined changes in spending among different types of children’s programs. This report is the most comprehensive examination to date of trends in federal spending on kids.
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