| January 28, 2008 | For More Information Contact: Ed Shelleby (202) 662-3611 |
WASHINGTON, DC In response to President Bush’s final State of the Union address, the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) today urged the President to use his final year in office to focus on the needs of children. CDF called on the President to show his commitment to ending child poverty by increasing affordable housing and expanding income supports including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. CDF also urged the President to work toward providing all of the 9.4 million uninsured children with health coverage.
“President Bush has consistently neglected millions of children during his first seven years in office,” said CDF President Marian Wright Edelman. “In the President’s last year in office, he still has the opportunity to invest in programs that will ensure all children are given the chance to successfully transition into healthy and successful adulthoods. This Administration must take steps to address the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable children, including the 12.8 million living in poverty and the 9.4 million children without health coverage. I hope the President uses this final year to leave behind a legacy of improving the lives of our nation’s children.”
For more information about the Children’s Defense Fund, visit www.childrensdefense.org.