Urgent - Action Alert

The future and soul of our country is at stake this coming week in Washington. Now is the time to act to prevent Congress and the President from balancing the budget on the backs of babies and the poor. Congress has until Friday April 8 to pass a federal budget and negotiations are ongoing but uncertain. We could face a government shut down and devastating budget cuts for our children and families are looming. Please call Congress NOW. Help stop the budget massacre in Washington. Your voice is desperately needed to help Senators and Representatives make the right choices for children. Children of all ages are in danger! • 218,000 children would lose Head Start; 16,000 classrooms would close and 55,000 jobs would be lost. • 11 million children and adults could be denied health care from Community Health Centers. • Many of the 9.4 million low-income college students would have their Pell Grants eliminated or severely reduced. • Cuts are also expected to be announced soon in Medicaid, Food Stamps and other lifelines for poor children and families. Please do your part NOW by contacting your Senators and Representative TODAY. Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or click here to find out who represents you. Tell Congress: Children did not cause the current budget problems. Cut billionaires, not babies. Cut corporations, not children. Don’t cut programs for the poor to continue to subsidize the rich. Cuts in early childhood and education will jeopardize our economic future. Invest in our children to strengthen our economy. Once you have called, please send this alert on to colleagues, friends and neighbors and urge them to call. Together, we can raise a ruckus to stop the budget massacre. Thank you for standing up for children! Members of Congress will be back home for the Easter and Passover recess. Stay tuned for more alerts and suggested actions in the coming weeks. - Children's Defense Fund