New Report: Bush Shortchanges Children

WASHINGTON – The Institute for America's Future released a report today analyzing the cuts and funding freezes found in President Bush's new spending plan sent to Congress this week. The report shows that President Bush's 2006 budget fails to adequately fund essential early education and after-school programs, eliminates the Even Start literacy program, freezes work-study funding for college and kills funding for 48 education programs. Institute for America's Future President Robert Borosage made the following statement about today's findings.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT BOROSAGE

The president's budget slashes education programs for children to add more tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. He's literally taking books out of the hands of the poorest children to give the wealthiest Americans more money for a new Ferrari.

This says something about who pays for the war and the Bush tax cuts. If the president has his way, the poorest children will bear the largest burden. Cuts to education, nutrition and health care, and the bill of increased debt which they will be forced to pay throughout their lives, violates both common sense and common decency.

# # #

**NOTE: Media representatives interested in a complete copy of the Institute for America's Future report should visit http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/2006_edu-budget_vol2.pdf [1].**