Kids’ Share 2008: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget

Although federal spending for children’s programs has increased in actual dollar amounts and as a percentage of GDP since 1960, the percentage of the federal domestic budget spent on children has decreased, according to this report from the Urban Institute and the New America Foundation. Looking ahead to 2018, the report finds that federal spending on children will continue to shrink as a percentage of domestic spending unless major adjustments are made to current policy and budget trends, especially if spending on entitlements continues to spiral out of control.