Speaking Out! Government shutdown averted (12/19/2011)

Congress agrees on spending bill; government shutdown averted

With federal agencies facing the threat of shutdown, Congress has reached a $1 trillion spending agreement. Negotiators from the appropriations committees of the House and Senate managed to end a standoff around extending the payroll tax cut with just 27 hours left until the federal government would have been forced into partial shutdown.

In a partial government shutdown, many programs that depend on appropriations would have been curtailed until some kind of agreement was reached, including some managed by Health and Human services, where many child and family support services reside. But President Obama threatened to force Congress to work through its holiday vacation unless a deal was reached. The agreement reached this week will fully fund most of the government through the rest of fiscal year 2012 (to Sept. 30, 2012).

However, the fight over extending the payroll tax isn’t over.  Congressional negotiators have simply bought time as they debate how to fund the tax break meant to encourage the economic recovery. President Obama has identified the payroll tax cut as a key priority of his administration, and it is the only surviving piece of his recent stimulus plan that is likely to win passage. The Washington Post reports that the payroll tax cut gave the average worker an extra $1,000 this year.

Caught up in the debate has been the renewal of unemployment benefits vital to struggling families. An estimated 1.8 million Americans could lose jobless benefits if the extended unemployment benefit is allowed to expire December 31. It would be silly to let families suffer this way; studies show that every $1 spent on unemployment insurance stimulates $2 in growth in the U.S. economy, since those on the program tend to spend the money right away.

Another presidential debate fails to bring up kids’ issues

Another lively presidential debate took place in Iowa recently, but once again kids’ issues won nary a mention. Aside from talk of Newt Gingrich’s controversial stance on child labor laws and some sympathy for poor families by Rick Santorum, the candidates largely failed to give substantive discussion to the health and well-being of America’s children.

It’s all too typical for candidates of both parties to avoid serious discussion of education, child health and safety issues. A recent report from the Child and Family Policy Center examined transcripts of the recent debates and found that only 2 percent of discussion involves kids’ issues. Policy statements from all the candidates (including President Obama) likewise tend to lack serious discussion of how to help children most in need.

Yet children in America today are in crisis. More than one in five American children lives in poverty. Obesity now affects 17 percent of American children. Surely the quality of life of America’s children merits more attention.

Voices, together with partners like SparkAction, wants to demand from our media and our political establishment better awareness of children’s issues. We intend to launch a campaign shining a spotlight on the needs of children and families in America and give them the discussion they deserve. Stay tuned. And read a reaction to the report by our friends at The Center for the Next Generation!

Progress on healthy food marketing to children delayed

Children Now, one of our California members, points out some bad news in the appropriations legislation: a delay in progress in how food corporations market to American children.

In a country where obesity affects 17 percent of all children and adolescents, more must be done to promote better diet and nutrition. But some junk food companies continue to market aggressively to children. The Federal Trade Commission’s Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children has set out to create voluntary standards for the food industry in how it markets to children.

Now the release of these standards are being delayed. The omnibus appropriations deal requires a cost/benefit analysis of the final recommendations of the report, which is expected to impose a significant delay. As the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation reports, food companies are concerned about the guidelines and have spent $37 million lobbying this year. Children Now and the rest of the Voices network will continue to fight for these voluntary, health guidelines as part of our fight against child obesity in America.