The Trump Administration’s preliminary budget for the Department of Health and Human Services cuts programs that support baby’s health, well-being and early learning
Media Contact: Gina Davis, gdavis@zerotothree.org
Washington, DC—Today, ZERO TO THREE released the following statement in response to reports that the Trump Administration is preparing a budget that makes massive cuts across the Department of Health and Human Services.
“The draft budget for the Department of Health and Human Services being proposed by the Trump Administration, if accurate, would have a devastating impact on the health and development of America’s babies and our nation’s early care and education workforce,” said Matthew Melmed, Executive Director at ZERO TO THREE. “The proposal will strip our nation’s infants and toddlers of support they need to thrive by cutting or outright eliminating programs that provide child care, early education, health care, food, housing, child welfare, and economic support for families. Families need solutions, not cuts.
“The impacts of this proposed budget would be felt for generations, with significant ramifications on our economy and our children’s futures. Reducing funding for programs that support healthy development and interventions for medical or developmental challenges will result in families delaying or not accessing needed care. And cuts to funding that supports the nation’s child care and early education system will lead to higher costs, longer waitlists, and even more barriers to employment—challenges the President promised to solve.
“ZERO TO THREE urges the Trump Administration to reverse course and for Congress to reject any budget that harms America’s babies and families.”
Among the most devastating cuts for babies and their families included in the draft budget are:
- The elimination of Head Start and Early Head Start. The draft budget removes essential supports for hard-working families by cutting the nation’s Head Start and Early Head Start programs. More than 800,000 families depend upon Head Start and Early Head Start for high quality early childhood and family services that help children close development gaps and help connect parents to critical resources, like employment and job training. Research has shown that Head Start positively impacts children living in poverty, supporting early cognitive gains to health, social and emotional development and setting children up for success in school and life. The impact will be especially stark in rural areas where 46% of Head Start services are delivered.
- Elimination of Key Programs That Promote Safe, Healthy Homes: The draft budget would eliminate key programs, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), that provide families with resources to protect their babies healthy development. LIHEAP ensures families can afford heating and cooling costs, while CSBG funds essential supports for economic security and self-sufficiency in communities across the nation.
- Cuts to Child Care Programs. The draft budget proposes significant cuts to programs, such as Head Start and Early Head Start and Preschool Development Grants Birth to 5, that support child care. If enacted, those cuts will exacerbate the nation’s child care crisis. America’s child care crisis is a mounting challenge for millions of parents -approximately 14.4 million children under the age of 5 have all available parents in the workforce – creating significant hurdles in daily life. With long waitlists, skyrocketing costs, and the pervasive issue of child care deserts—areas with few to no affordable child care options—families are already left scrambling to find reliable care.
- Eliminating and De-Prioritizing Health Programs. While the Trump Administration has pledged to make America healthy again, with a focus on supporting our children’s health and well-being, the draft budget proposes significant cuts to vital programs that will set back early childhood development and require costlier interventions later in life. Among cuts that will undermine the health of babies are:
- Elimination of Early Childhood Mental Health Supports: The draft budget proposes eliminating essential early childhood mental health supports, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) grants and Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). These programs help provide children who are struggling with mental challenges the foundation for lifelong emotional, physical and cognitive development and support critical prevention and treatment services for young children
- Cuts to Programs that Prevent Health Problems: The draft budget proposes the elimination of critical programs that protect the health of babies, including the CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning program, an essential federal effort dedicated to eliminating childhood lead poisoning. The budget also proposes the elimination of the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which empowers communities across the country to stop health issues before they arise.
- The De-Prioritizing of Essential Agencies that Serve Babies. The proposed budget merges critical federal agencies that serve young children – including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) into a larger bureaucracy. This new structure will lack focus on key aspects of child development that babies need, minimizing the department’s ability to meet the unique developmental and health needs of babies.
