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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman released the following statement in response to the House and Senate adoption of the conference report on the fiscal 2010 budget resolution (S. Con. Res. 13):

“The budget resolution Congress adopted today is a new national commitment to children, families and America’s future and I am pleased that Congress has taken bold action. Most notably, this budget resolution takes critical steps toward long-overdue health reform, including health coverage for every child in America.  It also supports essential investments in refundable tax credits for families with children, early childhood development, education, and quality home visitation programs that promote healthy child development and school readiness and prevent child abuse and neglect.

“This budget resolution puts our nation on a path to ensure that everyone in America—including every uninsured child—receives health coverage.  We now must work to make certain that becomes a reality. Even with the expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) earlier this year, 5 to 6 million children will still be uninsured and millions more underinsured. I now look forward to helping the President and Congress ensure every child and adult in America gets comprehensive, affordable health coverage in 2009.”

For more information about the Children’s Defense Fund, visit www.childrensdefense.org.

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