Witness
Wade F. Horn, Ph.D.
Assistant Secretary
Administration for Children and Families
Accompanied by
William R. Beldon
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Statement of
Wade F. Horn, Ph. D.
Administration for Children and Families
Department of Health and Human Services
Before the
Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor,
Health and Human Services
Education and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
March 8, 2005
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, I am honored to appear before you to discuss the President’s FY 2006 budget request for the Administration for Children and Families. In addition, I am joined by Dr. Duane Alexander, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to provide a special focus on early childhood development as requested by the subcommittee. William R. Beldon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget in the Department, also joins me at the table.
The FY 2006 budget request for ACF totals $44.9 billion, with $31.8 billion for mandatory programs and $13.1 billion for discretionary programs. The request sustains funding for important initiatives put forth in recent years while addressing the need for spending discipline to support the Administration’s initiative to cut the deficit in half over four years. This submission also is our first integrated performance budget.
Therefore, I would like to present highlights of our budget against the backdrop of our four strategic goals. dditionally, recognizing your special interest in early childhood development, I would like to take this opportunity to briefly update you on the progress we are making in this critical area.
Increasing Economic Independence and Productivity for Families
Welfare reform has been a tremendous success in moving families off
the rolls and moving toward self-sufficiency. The number of TANF dependent
families has been cut in half and contrary to predictions of welfare
reform critics the child poverty rate is lower now than in 1996. The
Administration’s reauthorization proposal, reflected in our
FY 2006 budget request, offers critical building blocks leading to
greater family stability and self-sufficiency. I am hopeful that Congress
will move quickly on the President’s welfare reform proposal.
Our FY 2006 budget supports the framework of this proposal by maintaining funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to States and Tribes, matching grants to territories, and the Tribal work program. Funding is included for the Contingency Fund and Supplemental Grants for Population Increases. The budget also includes $100 million in funding for a TANF Research, Demonstration and Technical Assistance Program which will be primarily focused on the promotion of family formation and healthy two-parent marriage activities, a $100 million matching state grant program focused on marriage promotion and $40 million in mandatory funding to promote responsible fatherhood activities. This portion of the request recognizes that children who grow up in healthy married families with responsible and committed fathers are less likely to experience a host of negative outcomes compared to those who do not.
As with TANF, the FY 2006 budget supports the continued high level of success achieved by the Child Support Enforcement Program by including legislative proposals from the last several years that seek to move the program toward a focus on healthy, financially strong families and away from the historic purpose of recoupment of federal and state outlays for welfare. Over five years it is estimated that these combined proposals will have a federal cost of $52 million while resulting in almost $3.4 billion in additional financial support to families.
In addition, child care provides a much needed support to help low-income families succeed at work and remain self-sufficient. The FY 2006 budget maintains the historically high level of funding dedicated to this purpose in both the Child Care and Development Block Grant, at $2.1 billion, and the Child Care Entitlement, at $2.7 billion. States also would continue to have flexibility to provide child care services using TANF funds and Social Services Block Grant funds. In addition, under our welfare reform proposal States would have the ability to use unobligated TANF balances (almost $1.9 billion at the end of FY 2004) on services such as child care.
To help those newly arrived in this country who are in especially fragile circumstances, our FY 2006 proposal requests $552 million for programs serving refugees, asylees, Cubans/Haitians entrants, victims of torture and trafficking, and unaccompanied alien children. Given the anticipated increase in refugee arrivals and unaccompanied children, $68 million above the FY 2005 enacted level is requested to maintain current assistance levels for refugees, and provide support for unaccompanied alien children in federal custody. In addition to meeting our goal for economic independence and productivity for families, our request will help promote the goal of social well-being for these particularly vulnerable children.
Improving Healthy Development, Safety, and Well-being of
Children
America’s future – its civil society and social fabric
– depends upon how well families protect and nurture their children.
Our budget supports a broad range of programs that help support families
as they endeavor to promote the cognitive and social development,
school readiness, and health and safety of their children and youth.
Since I testified before this Subcommittee last year on early childhood
learning in the Head Start Program, significant progress has been
made. I am pleased to report that the National Reporting System on
Head Start Outcomes has moved from two years of planning and development
into the completion of the first full year of implementation. The
first year data from the 2003 – 2004 school year show that some
of our earlier efforts to address school readiness are beginning to
have an impact. The data show higher levels of alphabet knowledge,
early literacy and early math skills than that found in the 2000 –
2001 Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) data I shared with
you last year. However, much like FACES, the data show we must still
do more to improve children’s learning and Head Start outcomes,
and enactment of the President’s reauthorization proposal is
a critical next step to this end.
In addition, the FY 2006 budget for ACF continues to support the President’s other priority initiatives aimed at improving the healthy development, support and well-being of children, youth and families. For example, building on last year’s expansion, the budget requests $143 million, an increase of $39 million, for community-based abstinence education program activities focused on educating teens and parents about the health risks associated with early sexual activity and $50 million to reauthorize state-based abstinence education grants as part of welfare reform reauthorization. Furthermore, recognizing that prevention is one of the most important tools we have to eliminate the tragedy of child abuse and neglect, the budget maintains funding at the increased FY 2005 enacted levels for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment State Grants and community-based child abuse and neglect prevention activities.
Further, our budget continues to support healthy outcomes for youth by providing $99 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth program, including an additional $10 million to support Maternity Group Homes. We also are seeking $50 million for the President’s Mentoring Children of Prisoners program to continue support for this vulnerable population. As a group, these children are less likely than their peers to succeed in school and more likely to engage in risky behavior such as substance abuse and sexual activity.
The FY 2006 budget also reflects our ongoing commitment to the child welfare system and supporting those who need help transitioning from foster care. The budget includes $60 million, a $13 million increase, for the Independent Living Education and Training Vouchers program, that will allow an additional 2,600 youth to receive training and education vouchers. Additionally, to support the Administration’s commitment to helping families in crisis and protecting children from abuse and neglect, the President’s FY 2006 Budget requests $410 million ($305 million in mandatory spending and $105 million in discretionary spending), an increase of $6 million, for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. The budget also provides $32 million for Adoption Incentives – to fully fund the rewards earned by states for increasing adoptions from the public child welfare system. Finally, the Administration is proposing a nearly $4.6 billion entitlement budget for foster care which includes continued support for the President’s child welfare program option to provide states more flexibility in both the population served and activities funded.
Increasing the Health and Prosperity of Communities and
Tribes
ACF achieves its goal of increasing the health and prosperity of communities
and tribes by strengthening local community partnerships, improving
civic participation, and working with Native American communities
to build capacity and infrastructure for social and economic development.
To this end, the FY 2006 budget provides $126 million to provide on-going
support for the critical core services to individuals and families
impacted by domestic violence and $3 million to support the National
Domestic Violence Hotline. In order to meet the demands for home energy
assistance for vulnerable populations, we are proposing $1.8 billion
for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program LIHEAP) and $200
million for the LIHEAP Contingency Fund.
We also maintain funding for the various components of the programs that allow ACF to serve families with members with developmental disabilities, and $15 million for voting access for those with disabilities.
In addition, we remain dedicated to advancing the efforts of community-based, charitable organizations, including faith-based providers in delivering social services and better serving those in need. To this end, the FY 2006 budget requests $100 million for the Compassion Capital Fund, an increase of $45 million. We propose to dedicate $50 million of the Compassion Capital Fund for the President’s and First Lady’s Helping America’s Youth initiative to help improve outcomes for boys with a special focus on assisting them to overcome the risk of gang influence and involvement.
Managing Resources to Improve Performance
ACF’s implementation of performance management has created a consistent framework for linking agency-wide goals with program priorities and targeting resources to meet the needs of children and families. It has provided a shared vision of what needs to be accomplished with our partners and provides a consistent and effective way to measure our achievements and to strive for continued improvement.
Given the lack of demonstrated results as noted in its Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) review, our budget does not seek funding for the Community Services Block Grant Program. These functions will be shifted to the Department of Commerce as part of the President’s initiative to strengthen America’s communities. In addition, funding is not sought for several other programs that duplicate services and activities funded elsewhere in the federal government.
Finally, our budget requests $187 million for Federal Administration, the same as FY 2005, supporting 1,313 FTE, a reduction of 69 FTE. In addition to absorbing mandatory cost of living and inflationary increases, this budget reflects a reduction in staffing support for community services programs and FTE savings resulting from increased productivity.
Conclusion
I am pleased to have had this opportunity to provide you with the
highlights of our proposed FY 2006 budget and briefly discuss our
progress in strengthening early childhood development. This budget
provides a fiscally responsible and balanced approach to reaching
our strategic goals and supporting the President’s Management
Agenda and key priorities. We look forward to working with the Congress
on achieving our mission and objectives, and I welcome your questions.
Dr. Wade F. Horn
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
Wade F. Horn, Ph.D. was named the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on July 30, 2001. The Administration for Children and Families is responsible for programs that promote the social and economic well-being of families. ACF's programs include Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, foster care, adoption assistance, family preservation and support, Head Start, child care, child support enforcement, runaway and homeless youth, low income home energy assistance, community services, refugee resettlement, mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Horn was President of the National Fatherhood Initiative, whose mission is to improve the well-being of children by increasing the number of children growing up with involved, committed and responsible fathers in their lives.
From 1989-1993, Dr. Horn was the Commissioner for Children, Youth and Families and Chief of the Children's Bureau in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. He also served as a Presidential appointee to the National Commission on Children from 1990-1993, was a member of the National Commission on Childhood Disability from 1994-1995, and the U.S. Advisory Board on Welfare Indicators from 1996-1997. Prior to these appointments, Dr. Horn was the Director of Outpatient Psychological Services at the Children's Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University. From 1993 to 2001, Dr. Horn was also an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, and an affiliate scholar with the Hudson Institute.
Dr. Horn is the author of numerous articles on children and family issues, including a weekly newspaper column entitled Fatherly Advice, and is the co-author of several books including The Better Homes and Gardens New Father Book (Meredith Books, 1998) and The Better Homes and Gardens New Teen Book (Meredith Books, 1999.) He is also the lead editor of The Fatherhood Movement: A Call to Action (Lexington Books, 1998.) Dr. Horn is frequently featured on television and radio as a child development expert and commentator. He has appeared on NBC's Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, 20/20, 48 Hours, ABC World News Tonight, CNN, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, Fox News Channel, CNN and MS-NBC.
Dr. Horn received his Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from Southern Illinois University in 1981. He lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters.
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Budget
William R. Beldon
Mr. Beldon is currently serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget
in the Department of Health and Human Services. He has been a Division
Director in the Budget Office for sixteen years, most recently as
Director of the Division of Discretionary Programs. Mr. Beldon started
in federal service as an auditor in the Health, Education and Welfare
Financial Management Intern program. Over the course of more than
30 years in the Budget Office, Mr. Beldon has held Program Analyst,
Branch Chief and Division Director positions. Mr. Beldon received
a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from Marshall
University and attended the University of Pittsburgh where he studied
Public Administration. He resides in Fort Washington, Maryland.
