“Poor families and children are being left behind as the benefits of a steadily growing economy fail to trickle down.  The persistently high level of child poverty and lack of health coverage for children reflects conscious and misguided political choices,” said Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of CDF.  “How can the Bush Administration and Congressional leaders give enormous tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans who have benefited most from the economic recovery while threatening to cut funding for Medicaid, Food Stamps and other programs that assist poor children who continue to be left behind? What kind of country are we that we can’t seem to figure out a way to provide health care coverage to our children who represent our future?”

Edelman also pointed out the fact that according to today’s report, seven out of every ten poor children in 2005 had at least one parent who is employed. A CDF analysis of U.S. Commerce Department data finds that the share of national income going to the wages and salaries of employees was lower in 2005 than it has been in any year since the data started being collected in 1929.

“Today’s report shows that sadly, in this country, working hard and playing by the rules is not enough to lift families out of poverty. We need action and leadership from Washington and across the country to start to address the root causes of poverty and the crying need for health and mental health care coverage for our children. Far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards.  We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better,” Edelman said.

 Child poverty is significantly up among all racial groups. 

Key findings from the Census data show that since 2000:

• The number of non-Latino White children living in poverty has increased by more than 230,000 to reach 4.3 million.
• More than 600,000 Latino children have fallen into poverty.
• The number of Black children living in poverty has increased by 260,000 so that, in 2005, one in every three Black children living in America is poor.
• More than a million children have fallen into extreme poverty (22 percent increase) over the past five years now gripping over 5.6 million children.  Extreme poverty means living with annual income below $7,870 for a family of three. 

The Children’s Defense Fund will release further state specific poverty and health care numbers reports based on today’s Census Report in coming days.  

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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.