Statement: Bill Bentley, Voices for America’s Children president and CEO, on passage of Ryan budget blueprint

The U.S. House today voted in support of an extreme budget blueprint that would gut child-serving programs. The Voices network of nonprofit, nonpartisan child advocacy organizations strongly opposes House Budget Chair Paul Ryan’s plan to dismantle Medicaid, endanger the nutrition of children and slash vital education support.

The Ryan proposal would cut Medicaid, which helps more than 28 million children get health care, by $750 billion over the next decade. The Children’s Health Insurance Program, which helps provide affordable care to almost 8 million children, could also be in danger. The Voices network is likewise concerned about Ryan’s proposal to change Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from entitlements to block grants, giving cash-strapped states more leeway to deny access to needy children. Finally, capping the federal budget at 2008 spending levels would impose radical cuts on education and other programs necessary to develop the next generation of workers, innovators and caretakers: our children.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.