Rep. Craig Blasts Administration’s Proposal to Cut Head Start Programs

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig led 89 of her Congressional colleagues in blasting the Administration’s decision to eliminate critical Head Start programs that promote early childhood development and ease the burden of child care on working families. 

In a letter to President Donald Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the lawmakers demanded answers from the Administration about how they intend to fill the gap left by the potential elimination of Head Start and support students, teachers and parents who benefit from these programs. 

“A shutdown of Head Start programming would have devastating, far-reaching impacts for nearly half a million children, families and local communities,” the Members wrote. “Over 800,000 children benefit from attending 17,000 Head Start Centers across the country, strengthening their early education and providing developmental screenings.”

“Additionally, the National Head Start Association estimates that more than one million parents who use Head Start and Early Start centers would lose necessary child care, impacting their ability to attend in-person work, causing further workforce disruptions,” the Members continued. “The impacts of these cuts would be generational and long-lasting.”

The Members concluded, “While we share the Administration’s goal of rooting out waste and abuse in government, attempting to defund early education programming and indiscriminately attacking our nation’s most vulnerable families is not the appropriate way to increase government efficiency.”

Rep. Craig has long fought to protect education in Minnesota and across the country. She has been a fierce critic of the Administration’s efforts to defund the Department of Education.

This Congress, she co-sponsored the Department of Education Protection Act, which would prohibit Congressional funds from being used to fire agency workers or drastically alter the Department of Education. She also led a joint resolution opposing cuts to the Department of Education and condemning any Congressional or Executive action that attempts to dismantle the Department.

In a show of support for Minnesota’s educators and in opposition to the Administration’s proposed cuts to education funding, Rep. Craig invited Education Minnesota President Denise Specht as her guest to this year’s State of the Union. 

You can read the full letter here. 

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