Press Releases

WASHINGTON Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman today said that while the nation is focused on war, the House and Senate passed key elements of President Bush's budget plan that singles out the rich for massive new tax cuts while putting children in harm's way.

Edelman noted that this is the most dangerous time our children have faced since the Children's Defense Fund began 30 years ago.

"As our nation wages a war against Iraq and is anxiously preoccupied with terrorism around the world, the Bush Administration and congressional leadership are waging a radical budget battle against children at home," said Edelman. "We must protect our children at home, both from threat of terror and from hunger, poverty, illness and lack of education. Congress must reconsider and reject these budget and tax policies for the sake of our children and nation."

The Senate today passed a budget that cuts the Administration's proposed tax plan in half but still favors the rich at the expense of investments in children and working families. The House budget passed last week makes some of the biggest cuts to children's programs in history, handing even larger tax breaks to the rich. Differences in the House and Senate plans will be reconciled in conference.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office this week reported that the Bush Administration's budget and tax plan's overall impact on the economy is "not obvious," and that it would probably have a negligible effect on the economy. Further, it forecasts that the Administration plan creates a growing deficit for the next decade totalling $1.82 trillion.

Hundreds of thousands of people from across the country last week called their Senators and Representatives tying up the Capitol switchboard to oppose the Bush Administration's tax and budget plan while the nation awaited the President's final diplomatic efforts that led to war.

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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.