Recent postings express confusion and doubt as to what Bush is doing to child abuse prevention programs. Some questioned whether such cuts have really been proposed. This article from the NY Times explains the cuts in detail.

Bush will cut child abuse prevent programs by 18 percent.

What a bastard.

Bush's Budget Would Cut 3 Programs to Aid Children

By ROBERT PEAR

WASHINGTON, March 22 — As part of his budget, President Bush intends next month to propose cuts in programs to provide child care, to prevent child abuse and to train doctors at children's hospitals, administration officials said today.

State officials contend that stable child care for low-income families has been a major ingredient of successful programs to move people from welfare to work. Congress provided $2 billion last year for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. That included an increase of $817 million, or 69 percent, so that states could provide day care to 241,000 additional children.

Budget documents from the Department of Health and Human Services show that Mr. Bush plans to cut child care grants by $200 million, to $1.8 billion, as part of the budget he will send Congress early next month.

The documents also show that spending for programs dealing with child abuse would be reduced by $15.7 million, or 18 percent. That would leave $71.8 million for federal grants to the states to prevent and investigate child abuse and neglect.

About 900,000 children are victims of abuse or neglect each year, federal data show, based on reports of cases investigated and confirmed by the states.

Tommy G. Thompson, the secretary of health and human services, has often emphasized the need to invest in services for low-income people.

"For welfare reform to be successful, you have to make an investment up front," Mr. Thompson said at his confirmation hearing. "It cannot be done on the cheap."

Mr. Thompson acted on that philosophy in 14 years as governor of Wisconsin. Under his supervision, state spending on child care in Wisconsin increased to $250 million this year, from $12 million in 1987.

The 1996 welfare law imposed stringent work requirements on welfare recipients, and most states have long lists of people waiting for subsidized child care.

Dennis P. Williams, the top budget official at the Department of Health and Human Services, described the amounts of money for various programs in memorandums to agency officials. Copies of the documents were obtained from people in both parties who oppose the cuts.

Mr. Williams said that Mr. Thompson "personally negotiated the budget with the director" of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. The numbers for specific budget items reflect decisions by Mr. Thompson "within the overall constraints of O.M.B. guidance," Mr. Williams said.

Administration officials defending President Bush's proposals made two points. First, they said, many domestic programs received exceptionally large increases in the current fiscal year because Congress and the Clinton administration showed little restraint on spending.

In addition, administration officials said Mr. Bush's concern for children was displayed throughout the budget, most notably in his proposals to double the federal tax credit for children and to increase spending at the Department of Education by 11.5 percent next year.

Campbell Gardett, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said, "People here do not want to comment on the budget" before its official release.

The budget documents show that Mr. Bush is planning to eliminate all the money, $20 million, that Congress provided for an "early learning fund" to improve the quality of child care and education for children younger than 5.

Mr. Bush's proposal could lead to a confrontation with Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Mr. Stevens and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, were the chief sponsors of the measure Congress passed last year to improve child care for preschoolers.

After President Bill Clinton signed the legislation in December, Mr. Stevens said, "I expect our new first lady, Laura Bush, a former librarian, to be a champion of early childhood education."

Administration officials said Mr. Bush was proposing a program to help older children after school.

But Helen Blank of the Children's Defense Fund, a liberal advocacy group, said, "It makes no sense to cut the Child Care and Development Block Grant to pay for a new initiative like after school vouchers."

In December, Congress also provided $235 million for a new program to train pediatricians and other doctors at children's hospitals across the country. Bush administration officials said the White House Office of Management and Budget had made a preliminary decision to seek large cuts in this program. Aides to Mr. Thompson said he was trying to get some of the money restored.

"We are still working on it," Mr. Thompson said. "We are still negotiating."

Representative Jennifer Dunn, Republican of Washington, expressed concern about the possibility of a cut.

"We really need the money for training of physicians who deal directly with children," Ms. Dunn said.

The president's budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, not counting benefit programs like Medicare and Medicaid, calls for $56.7 billion in 2002.

-- For the record (compassionate@conservatism.com), March 26, 2001

Answers

hey we,re gonna get some more''trickle down economic,s'' just think-the corporations get richer-so,s the poor can get more=crumbs-yah that,ll work. NAWWWW POLITICIAN,S alway,s screw it up. I tell ya what--let,s all get on the local=churches case. tell em-forget the building-fund-the new choir-costumes. the=please send the money-flyers!! the comfy-pews--all the cozy get to-gether,s for xian-super- stars!!..................find 1 of those[street-ministries] that do the''dirty-work'' and support them. let,s SEE=JESUS fed the 5 thousand-then HE explained the KINGDOM OF GOD.======or RAISE TAXES---create more=programs-more red-tape. nuthin like a good ol' recession-depression to=reveal-heart,s!! EVERYONE should spend a night in a salvation-army-shelter[been there] life is toooo-short for=HOLLYWOOD. GOOD MINISTRIES>>FEED THE CHILDREN[LARRY JONES] THE>>DREAM-CENTER [TOMMY BARNETT]---there,s quite a few good ministries to the poor.

-- al-d (dogs@zianet.com), March 26, 2001.

Let's see now, the two programs the libs are screaming about the most are after-school programs for poor kids and federally funded training for pediatricians and doctors. The latter is a giveaway to those that should be paying for their own education anyway since they will be the EVIL rich after a couple of years in practice anyway [by the libs own definitions]; and the former only allows more neglect and fostering of abandonment in the first place. Let's just pawn our kids off on some federal day care program that runs till 7 or 8pm at night.

-- libs are doofuses (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), March 26, 2001.