| For Immediate Release March 26, 2009 |
For More Information Contact: Ed Shelleby (202) 662-3602 |
WASHINGTON, DC – This week the Children’s Defense Fund sent the following letter to chairs and ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Budget Committees asking them to include President Obama’s FY2010 budget priorities in Congress’ budget resolution. The letter specifically praises the investments in health care reform and tax credits for low-income families.
March 26, 2009
The Honorable Kent Conrad
Chairman
Senate Budget Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable John Spratt
Chairman
Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Judd Gregg
Ranking Member
Senate Budget Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Paul Ryan
Ranking Member
Committee on the Budget
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Conrad, Chairman Spratt, and Ranking Members Gregg and Ryan:
The Children’s Defense Fund strongly supports President Obama’s FY2010 budget. It makes essential investments in refundable tax credits for families with children, long overdue health reform, early childhood development, and education. I urge you to approve a budget resolution that advances these critical and urgently needed priorities, invests in children and families, helps restore America’s economic stability, and prepares our children and nation for the future.
The economic crisis and burgeoning deficits require your leadership now more than ever. Guaranteeing all children health coverage, getting all of them ready to learn and to succeed in school, and eliminating the child poverty that now affects 13.3 million children are the most important steps our nation can take to ensure future prosperity.
The budget must provide room to fund comprehensive health reform for everyone in America this year. We support the President’s requested funding level for non- defense domestic discretionary programs to allow substantial investments in early childhood, education and other key supports to begin to make up for the losses of the last eight years. Such investments will help secure a quality future workforce.
America’s children are depending on you to craft a budget resolution that invests in their future and restores our country’s prosperity. Constructing a budget resolution that supports the President’s request will begin to set our nation on that path and benefit all of us.
Sincerely yours,
Marian Wright Edelman
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