[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4674-S4675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EL DIA DE LOS NINOS: CELEBRATING YOUNG AMERICANS

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, every year on the 30th day of April, 
nations throughout the world, especially in Latin America, honor and 
celebrate the importance of children to families and communities. Many 
Latino families honor their children on this day by celebrating El Dia 
de los Ninos in their homes. Today, nearly 45 million children under 
the age of 18 reside in the United States, and one in four of these 
children are of Hispanic descent. The El Dia de los Ninos holiday 
provides a wonderful opportunity for all Americans to pay tribute to 
those who represent the future of our great country--our Nation's 
youth. A growing number of cities, schools, libraries, museums, 
churches, and other community organizations across the nation observe 
this holiday by planning activities and events that celebrate children.
  While El Dia de los Ninos recognizes the importance of children, the 
holiday also provides an occasion to shed light on the unique 
challenges currently facing Latino children in America. Every day 
nationwide, 751 Latino children are born into poverty; 518 are born 
without health care; and 561 Latino high school students drop out of 
school.
  As every parent knows, our children are a gift we have been given in 
exchange for a commitment to put their well-being above all else. It is 
our covenant to meet our children's needs before our own and to work 
and plan so that they may have a better future.
  The Bush administration's fiscal year 2005 budget proposal breaks 
that covenant by giving tax cuts for the wealthy higher priority than 
investments in our children. His administration has created record 
deficits that mortgage our children's future.
  The choices contained in the President's budget fail to address the 
basic needs of children in key areas such as health care, education, 
Head Start, child care, housing, child nutrition, and the prevention 
of, and treatment for, child abuse and neglect.
  The number of Americans without health insurance increased by 2.4 
million between 2001 and 2002, the largest jump in a decade, to a total 
of almost 44 million. Among those 44 million are more than 9 million 
children under age 19, almost 90 percent of whom live in working 
families. However, the administration's budget proposal does nothing to 
significantly expand health insurance coverage.
  Latinos are the most likely of all groups to lack health insurance. 
One-third of Latinos, 33.2 percent, lack health insurance, and nearly 
one-quarter, 24.1 percent, of Latino children are uninsured. Since a 
significant reason for the low level of insurance coverage among 
Hispanic children is the result of current law that bars them from 
participating in Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance 
Program, SCHIP, removing these barriers to health care is key to 
ensuring that Latino children have access to health care services. Yet, 
the administration's budget does not recommend taking this important 
step, leaving millions of children without coverage.
  Just when schools are struggling to meet the new requirements of the 
No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB, President Bush has proposed the 
smallest increase in Federal education funding in 9 years. Since 2002, 
the NCLB program has been shortchanged by $26.5 billion. This year 
alone, President Bush has proposed a budget that would underfund the 
NCLB program by $9.4 billion.
  The administration's budget shortchanges education programs that are 
particularly important for Latino students. Dropout assistance, 
bilingual education funding, Migrant Education, HEP and CAMP and the 
parent assistance program--all of which help migrant students--are all 
significantly underfunded.
  The President's budget proposal would virtually freeze Head Start 
funding even though the program currently reaches only 3 out of 5 
eligible preschoolers, and only 3 percent of infants and toddlers 
eligible for Early Head Start.
  At a time when the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Services Programs 
serve only 19 percent of eligible migrant and seasonal children, the 
President's budget provides $269.4 million--far short of what is needed 
to meet demand.
  The President's budget proposal would flat-fund child care assistance 
at a time when only 1 out of 7 eligible children currently receives a 
child care subsidy; when States are making significant cuts to child 
care services due to State budget crises that are exacerbated by recent 
tax cuts; and when more than 550,000 children across the country are on 
waiting lists for child care assistance. The Senate recently voted 78 
to 20 to increase the Federal investment in child care so that low-
income working families can succeed in the workplace and make sure 
their children have safe, high-quality, appropriate care.
  The President's budget proposal cuts section 8 housing assistance by 
$789 million, intensifying the unmet need for affordable housing. Of 
the 2 million households that receive section 8 rental vouchers, 52 
percent are families with children, making section 8 the main source of 
housing assistance for low-income children.
  The President's budget proposal provides no significant increase in 
funding for child nutrition programs, while 22 million children live in 
households suffering from hunger or living on the very edge of hunger.
  More than 900,000 children were abused and neglected in 2001, yet the 
investments proposed for preventing child abuse and neglect and 
assisting children and families in crisis, totaling $151 million, fall 
far short of the need.
  As we look to the future, we must do more than simply hope that our 
country will be in good hands. We must take steps to ensure that each 
child growing up in America has access to world-class health care and a 
quality education. El Dia de los Ninos allows us to celebrate the hopes 
and dreams of our children while reflecting on their many 
accomplishments and assisting them in reaching their future goals.
  As a proud father and grandfather, I happily celebrate El Dia de los 
Ninos. However, my commitment to young Americans and the Latino 
Community will not end today. I am committed to championing legislation 
that will help families realize the vision of El Dia de los Ninos 
increased access to health care; higher investments in Head Start, 
education, and child care; access to decent housing; stronger child 
nutrition programs; and more child abuse prevention and treatment 
programs. By working to meet our children's needs today, we are 
building a better future for all Americans.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I speak in celebration of El Dia de los 
Ninos, a traditional Latin American holiday celebrating the future of 
children. This holiday honors Latino children and other children 
throughout the United States. In my home State of New York a number of 
important celebrations are taking place in honor of this important day.
  Today, there are nearly 45 million children under 18 living in the 
United States and one in four of these children

[[Page S4675]]

are of Hispanic descent. Of the 3.5 million children under 18 living in 
New York, nearly 1 million are Latino.
  While El Dia de los Ninos recognizes the importance of all children, 
the holiday also provides an occasion to shed light on the unique 
challenges currently facing Latino children in America. Every day 
nationwide, 751 Latino children are born into poverty and 561 Latino 
high school students drop out of school. In New York, 35.9 percent of 
Latino children live in poverty and nearly 20 percent of Hispanic youth 
drop out of high school each year.
  We must do better for our children, especially our Latino children. 
The President's budget fails to provide adequate investments in 
education that could significantly improve the future of our most 
vulnerable children. President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget 
eliminates the dropout prevention program and even calls them 
unnecessary despite the fact that over 27 percent of Latinos across the 
country currently don't graduate from high school. His budget freezes 
funding for bilingual education and migrant education programs; cuts 
funding for Head Start, after school programs, and college loan 
programs; and eliminates Even Start. This budget is devastating to 
programs designed to help Latinos gain an even footing in education.
  That is why I joined my colleagues in the Senate in sending a letter 
to the Appropriations Committee urging the committee to target funding 
to meet the needs of our Hispanic children. To strengthen our Nation, 
we must take steps to ensure that all children growing up in America 
have access to a quality education. Throughout the remainder of the 
108th Congress, I will continue to champion legislative efforts to aid 
all young Americans and the Latino community so that we can help these 
children pursue their hopes and dreams. Today, as we celebrate El Dia 
de los Ninos I encourage all Americans to stop for a moment and pay 
tribute to the future of our great country--our Nation's youth.

                          ____________________