Posted by: Teaway Zehyoue Collins
A new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examines the impact of H.R. 1, a proposal passed by the Republican-controlled House in Congress that would cut 2011 non-security discretionary funding by 13.8 percent and negatively affect low-income families and children. For example, the House proposal would reduce funding to Head Start programs by nearly $1.1 billion. Head Start programs promote school readiness among at-risk children up to 5 years old by enhancing development through education and other services. If enacted into law, this bill would negatively affect over 21,000 children in Louisiana that are enrolled in Head Start programs.
These proposed cuts by House Republicans would also affect other programs in Louisiana:
- Title I Grants that provide funding for elementary and secondary education to low-income communities in Louisiana would be reduced by $15.6 million;
- Special Education programs for children with disabilities in Louisiana would be reduced by $9.1 million;
- Job Training programs that provide employment assistance, job search, and job training for low-income adults and youth would be reduced by $19.1 million affecting 52,000 low-income youths and adults in Louisiana; and
- Pell Grants would be reduced by $83 million. This program provides grants to low- and moderate-income undergraduate students to help pay for college and help low-income working adults to return to school to improve their skills. Cuts to the Pell Grant program would negatively affect 129,000 college students in Louisiana, discouraging many prospective low- and moderate-income students in the state from starting college, while making it harder for those who do continue their studies to graduate.