Funding cuts to programs for education, healthcare, poverty, hunger, disabilities, insurance, civil rights, nutrition, homelessness, discrimination, early childhood programs, child labor, and child abuse are all disappearing. Many of these cuts are to largely volunteer organizations where each funding dollar pays for community volunteers donating sometimes hundred of dollars worth of services for children in need.
Warning, this is a long list – with links to sources.
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Especially, share this with your lawmakers (find them here) with a note about how you feel about dismantling established programs that give children what they need to thrive and live productive lives.
CWLA warns that these cuts and eliminations would make millions of children less safe, rip away supportive services from families, and drive more families to the brink of involvement with the child welfare system. They describe the scale of these proposed reductions as potentially “decimating the human services field,” with far-reaching consequences for child safety, well-being, and family stability127.
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Current List of Specific Federal Policies Impacting Child Well Being
Terminated $1 Billion in mental health grants for schools
DEI Crackdown and Schools
How Schools are Changing
Cuts to Essential Programs for Children
- Medicaid and CHIP Reductions: Proposals from the Republican Study Committee, Project 2025, and the House Budget Committee call for deep cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which together provide health coverage for millions of low-income children. These cuts could reduce these programs by more than half, threatening access to medical care for vulnerable children5614.
- SNAP and Nutrition Programs: The same proposals would slash funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), reducing average benefits for over 40 million participants, including children. School meal programs are also at risk, contributing to rising food insecurity and hunger among children56714.
- Head Start Elimination: Project 2025 and recent administration plans aim to eliminate Head Start, a federal early childhood education program serving over 800,000 low-income children. This would remove a critical support system for early learning, health, and family engagement, especially harming rural and low-income families7910.
- Reductions in Income Security Programs: Proposed budgets would cut income supports such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), all of which help lift children out of poverty and provide basic financial stability5614.
Threats to Education and Civil Rights
- Elimination of the Department of Education: Project 2025 proposes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, threatening federal oversight and funding for public schools, including programs for children with disabilities and those in low-income communities78916.
- Cuts to Special Education and Early Intervention: Funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Medicaid, both vital for children with disabilities, is at risk. Staff layoffs and reduced oversight threaten the civil rights and educational support for these children8.
- Book Bans and Censorship: Federal efforts to impose book bans, restrict classroom content, and increase censorship are growing, threatening students’ freedom to read and learn, and disproportionately affecting marginalized groups69.
- Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ Students: Project 2025 and related policies seek to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ students, including rescinding federal civil rights protections in schools9.
Other Key Threats
- Child Labor Protections: Project 2025 proposes rolling back child labor laws, potentially allowing minors to work in more dangerous conditions with fewer protections, reversing decades of progress in child safety613.
- Attacks on Immigrant Children: Increased immigration enforcement, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and efforts to undermine birthright citizenship are creating trauma and instability for immigrant children and those in mixed-status families6.
- Reductions in Child Welfare and Social Services: Spending freezes and job cuts at agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services threaten child welfare programs, foster care support, and oversight of child safety101217.
- Erosion of Public Health Protections: Cuts to public health infrastructure and increased disinformation have led to the resurgence of preventable diseases among children, such as measles6.
Current Outcomes and Trends
- Rising Child Poverty and Hunger: With the expiration of pandemic-era supports, child poverty has more than doubled since 2021, and food insecurity is surging6.
- Increasing Uninsured Rates: More children are losing health coverage as Medicaid and CHIP protections expire6.
- Mental Health Crisis: Suicide rates and mental health challenges among children are rising, with inadequate federal response6.
- Homelessness and Abuse: Record numbers of children are experiencing homelessness, and child abuse reports are increasing as family stress and service cuts mount6.
Summary Table: Key Programs and Proposed Threats
| Program/Area | Proposed Threat/Policy Change | Potential Impact on Children |
| Medicaid & CHIP | Deep funding cuts | Loss of health coverage, reduced care access |
| SNAP & School Meals | Benefit reductions, program cuts | Increased hunger, food insecurity |
| Head Start | Program elimination | Loss of early education, family support |
| Department of Education | Proposed elimination | Reduced federal oversight, funding loss |
| IDEA & Special Education | Funding and staffing cuts | Fewer services for children with disabilities |
| Income Security (EITC, CTC) | Major reductions | Increased child poverty |
| Child Labor Protections | Rollback of regulations | More children in hazardous work |
| Civil Rights (LGBTQ+, race) | Rescinding protections, increased censorship | Discrimination, limited educational freedom |
| Immigrant Children | Exclusionary policies, enforcement | Trauma, instability, fear |
Conclusion
Federal policy proposals and actions in 2025 threaten to reduce or eliminate critical supports for children in health, nutrition, education, and civil rights. If enacted, these policies would worsen child poverty, hunger, health outcomes, and educational opportunities, with long-term negative consequences for American society567891014.
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) has reported extensively on recent and proposed federal budget cuts and program eliminations that threaten child-friendly programs across the United States. According to CWLA’s analysis of leaked administration plans and budget documents, the following key points summarize their findings:
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Elimination of Major Early Childhood Programs: The administration’s plans include the proposed elimination of Head Start and Early Head Start, which have served over 900,000 children and families with early childhood education and home visiting programs. These programs are proven to strengthen families and prepare children for school, and their loss would be especially devastating for low-income and rural communities17.
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Cuts and Eliminations of Child Safety and Health Programs: Programs focused on child safety, such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), Youth Violence Prevention, and Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research, are slated for elimination. Other health-related cuts include the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, maternal and newborn health initiatives (like Healthy Start and parts of the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant), and mental health programs for children, including those specifically serving tribal communities and LGBTQ+ youth1.
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Reductions in Child Abuse Prevention and Family Support: Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) is being cut by about $10 million, and Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) discretionary funding is also reduced by $10 million. These cuts would reduce support for programs that prevent child maltreatment and strengthen family stability17.
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Elimination of the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG): The SSBG, which provides $910 million for child welfare services-including foster care, adoption, and support for vulnerable children-is targeted for elimination. This would remove a critical source of flexible funding for states to address child abuse, neglect, and family support needs26.
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Closure of Regional Support Offices: Five regional offices of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) are being closed, which will significantly impact technical assistance and support for child welfare, child care, and Head Start services, particularly in tribal communities and U.S. territories2.
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Other Service Cuts: Additional eliminations and reductions include the Community Services Block Grant, Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), refugee support and medical services, youth homelessness prevention, and several rural health and substance abuse programs127.
CWLA warns that these cuts and eliminations would make millions of children less safe, rip away supportive services from families, and drive more families to the brink of involvement with the child welfare system. They describe the scale of these proposed reductions as potentially “decimating the human services field,” with far-reaching consequences for child safety, well-being, and family stability127.
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