That may be the verdict on our president today, as Washington think tanks continue crunching the numbers in the White House budget proposal. Head Start, a 43-year-old programme aimed at pulling young children out of poverty, was reauthorised and slated for expansion last year, with the support of George Bush as well as both parties in Congress.
But as few folks outside the capital realise, authorisations set rosy goals that are often not met when the programmes in question have to ask for actual funding (also known as appropriations). And a briefing released today by the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities shows the level of Bush's commitment to expanding Head Start -- his 2009 budget proposes to cut money for the program below current levels, when adjusted for inflation. Overall, funding to aid low-income kids is now 12% less than in 2002.
