U.S. House Appropriations Bill Wisely Invests in Children at Home and Abroad

Washington, D.C. (June 21, 2019) – This week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2740, which provides major increases in funding for fiscal year 2020 programs that impact millions of children both in the U.S. and around the globe. Critically, the bill increases funding for many early childhood education programs and protects funding for global health, international development, and humanitarian programs that provide much-needed assistance for children living in some of the most challenging circumstances around the globe. Save the Children recently reported that over a quarter of a billion children are better off today than twenty years ago, representing gains in 173 of 176 countries studied.

“This action taken by the U.S. House of Representatives is a powerful statement about the importance of helping ensure children everywhere have the ability to survive and thrive,” said Carolyn Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children. “Despite tremendous progress, we know that far too many children continue missing out on an education, are married as children, or are suffering from stunting as a result of prolonged malnutrition. Today, one in five kids – or more than 420 million children – are living in areas affected by conflict. This legislation is critical to ensuring children around the globe receive the childhood they deserve.”

“The funding legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives today wisely invests in early education, which has a tremendous impact on the lives of kids and families living in poverty,” said Mark Shriver, CEO of Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) and Senior Vice President, U.S. Programs & Advocacy, of Save the Children. “We strongly encourage the U.S. Senate to adopt these funding levels.”

In order for the increases to become reality, Congress must increase the current budget caps to avoid across-the-board cuts in domestic and international funding.

“Failure to raise the budget caps would result in drastic cuts to vital programs that help kids,” Shriver said. “This would have a devastating impact on millions of kids here at home and around the world.”

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.