Aligning Resources and Results: The President’s FY 2016 Budget

Yesterday, President Obama released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Budget, outlining the administration’s policy agenda and budget requests for federal spending in the upcoming year. As the guide for every major spending and revenue decision, the President’s budget request is a significant policy vehicle for supporting children and families.

With the release of the President’s budget comes an opportunity to emphasize how policymakers can advance equity through the budget process at the federal level – but also through state and local budgets.

The President’s budget proposal includes notable efforts to increase equity by improving access to education, including dedicated funding for universal pre-kindergarten, increasing opportunities for low-income schools through Title I funding and tuition-free community college.

At the community level, the proposal introduces the Upward Mobility Project – a new initiative that will provide up to 10 communities with the opportunity to flexibly spend federal funding from four existing programs in an effort to invest in programs and resources that meet the specific needs of its residents. These investments – as well as a host of others – have the ability to promote equity and provide communities with the flexibility to create opportunities for low-income children and families.

In CSSP’s new brief “Aligning Resources and Results: Increasing Equity Through the Budget,” we highlight equitable budget strategies from Portland, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; and an example from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

As outlined in the brief, the President’s FY2016 budget includes funding for key programs that impact communities:

• Preschool for All: $75 billion over 10 years
• Preschool Development: $500 million
• English Language Acquisition: $36 million
• America’s College Promise: $1.36 billion
• Promise Neighborhoods: $150 million
• Choice Neighborhoods: $248 million
• Community Development Block Grant: $2.8 billion
• Housing Choice Voucher Program: $21.1 billion

By proposing investments in programs like early child care and universal preschool, including tax credits for working families, the President’s FY2016 budget includes strategies to advance equity in the coming year. Making investments to advance equity is an important way to ensure all children and families have the opportunity to succeed.

For more information on the President’s FY2016 budget release, please read CSSP’s statement here.