AUGUSTA, ME—On Tuesday the President released his blueprint for the federal budget , which if enacted, would be detrimental to Maine’s future and the health and well-being of our children, youth and families. The President’s proposals go back on the Federal Government’s long-held commitments to children in the areas of health, nutrition and education. These drastic cuts targeting programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will adversely affect child development in Maine and there will be serious consequences for years to come.

  “Maine children thrive when they have the resources, opportunity and support necessary to succeed. Many of the programs targeted by the President’s proposals do this important work and are already severely underfunded,” said Claire Berkowitz, executive director of MCA. “I am deeply concerned by the long-term implications this dangerous and short-sighted proposed budget will have on our children and families, and Maine’s future.”

The proposed budget makes deep cuts to Medicaid funding and allows states to radically restructure this essential program. This jeopardizes access to health care and coverage for the 131,000 Maine children – 4 out of 10 – who rely on Medicaid for health insurance each year. In Maine, almost two-thirds – over 8,000 – babies receive health care through Medicaid at birth. These cuts in addition to the $880 billion in cuts from Medicaid in the recently passed health care bill would be devastating to Maine children and families.

While the budget threatens the health and well-being of children and families on Medicaid, it also cuts federal funding for CHIP by 20 percent. CHIP provides free or low-cost coverage to children who just miss the income eligibility guidelines for Medicaid. It ensures fewer children fall through the gaps as their families move slowly out of poverty. In Maine, over 20,000 children rely on this program for health care coverage. These cuts could either force the state to cover fewer children or shift the cost-burden onto the state budget.

Research shows that children who have health insurance through Medicaid do better than children in similar families that don’t have it: they are healthier, miss less school, are more likely to finish high school, attend college and graduate from college, be healthier as adults, and earn more as adults.

“The President’s proposed budget is not just harmful to our children and families; it simply does not make sense. It leaves Maine children – our future workforce – sicker, hungrier and more likely to struggle in school,” said Margaret Leitch Copeland, MCA Board Member. “We should be adopting and implementing evidence-based, cost-effective policies that lift our children up instead of trapping them in hardship and poverty.”

In the President’s proposal, changes include a 25 percent cut to funding for the SNAP program (formerly named food stamps), which puts children at risk of going hungry, becoming sick and struggling in school. As of 2016, over 67,500 Maine children – 1 in 4 – received SNAP benefits. This could change if the new budget passes. Like the cuts to Medicaid and CHIP, it also puts states in the difficult position of either serving fewer Maine kids or finding additional funds in the state budget to make ends meet.  

Children whose families benefit from SNAP are more likely to be in good health, develop normally for their age, avoid hospitalization, do better in school, and graduate from high school than children in similar families without SNAP. This is good for children and families, as well as the future of our state.

Other major targets of the President’s budget include early childhood education program vouchers, after-school programs for school-aged students, college work-study programs and many more.  

The budget only provides level funding to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) which allows eligible young children from low-income families to access quality, early learning programs. In Maine, unless funding for child care is increased, 1,964 children are likely to lose their child care . This is particularly troubling since the number of children served by this program has declined dramatically since 2006, while the need has not decreased at nearly the same pace.

The budget also eliminates funding for after-school programs, reduces funding for college work-study programs, and eliminates the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) program with helps youth from particularly low-income households attend college. These major changes affect over 5,000 Maine children served in the federally funded after-school programs, over 7,000 Maine students who receive work-study funding, and over 11,000 Maine students who participate in the SEOG program.