Statement on OMB Sequestration Report
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Media Contact: | Sally Aman | |
| September 14, 2012 | 202-262-8003 | ||
| aman@a2pr.com | |||
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National Head Start Association Statement
OMB Report on Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012
Washington, D.C. – Today, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a sequestration implementation report including information for federal agencies and Congress describing the details of automatic spending cuts set to take effect in January.
The following statement should be attributed to Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association:
“OMB’s sequestration implementation report underscores the devastating affects the sweeping, across-the-board spending cuts will have on 100,000 poor children and their families across this nation who will lose their Head Start and Early Head Start experience.
The report states that sequestration would cut “Children and Family Services Programs," which includes Head Start, by 8.2 %. A cut of that magnitude would result in eliminating 100,000 Head Start and Early Head Start kids currently being served. That will not only shut the critical window of learning opportunity for much of our youngest generation – but it will also force parents out of jobs or leave kids in dangerous care settings. Head Start and other non-defense discretionary programs – at 3.4% of the budget—are not the cause of our growing debt.
The needs of our nation’s children today are as great as they have ever been. We continue to urge Congress and the Administration to act quickly on a balanced approach to restoring fiscal stability-- that replaces the sequester and maintains funding for the 100,000 at-risk children whose early preparation for a lifetime of success is being threatened.”
Additional information about the National Head Start Association can be found at www.nhsa.org.