Children in America.

Half of the US senators and a majority, of the members of the US House of Representatives voted to undermine and cut guaranteed health protections for 25 million children who depend on Medicaid as their health lifeline at a time when 9 million children hack any health insurance; to cut billions from child support as hunger and homelessness stalk the land; and to cut funding from an overburdened and underfunded foster care system. A majority of the members of both the House and Senate also voted to weaken laws that would help protect children from the guns that took 2,867 child and teen lives in the most recent year--almost eight every day. Our congressional leaders said we could afford only $1 billion of the more than $12 billion that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said low-income working mothers and their children need to stay off welfare, but we could afford tens of billions for more capital gains and dividend tax breaks for the very, wealthiest Americans.

Thirty Senators (almost one-third) and 167 House members (over one-third) scored 0 percent in voting on legislation that will impact the lives of children in America. Twenty-three Senators and 90 House members scored 100 percent. The CDF Action Council considered nine votes in the Senate and nine votes in the House of Representatives crucial in their impact in helping or hurting children. Of those 18 votes, most related to budget and tax choices that cut children's vital programs to give tax cuts to the wealthy. How we spend our nation's money is the true measure of what we value as a nation. Members of Congress also voted to make it easier for the federal government to punish children for a range of offenses as adults, impeded timely reauthorization of the successful Head Start program by attaching a provision allowing religious discrimination in employment in Head Start, and voted to protect the gun industry, from liability rather than children from gun violence.

This Nonpartisan Scorecard, published annually, is part of the CDF Action Council's public education, ongoing policy analysis and advocacy for children and should not be taken as an endorsement of any candidate for public office.

The full text of this scorecard can be viewed online at www.cdfactioncouncil.org/scorecard2005.pdf

An excerpt from Did Your Members of Congress Protect Children? The 2005 Children's Defense Fund Action Council Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard

One Day in the Life of America's Children

     1   mother dies in childbirth.
     4   children are killed by abuse or neglect.
     5   children and teens commit suicide.
     8   children and teens are killed by firearms.
    77   babies die before their first birthdays.
   181   children are arrested for violent crimes.
   367   babies are born to mothers who received late or no prenatal
         care.
   380   children are arrested for drug abuse.
   888   babies are born at low birthweight.
 1,154   babies are born to teen mothers.
 1,701   babies are born without health insurance.
 1,900   public school students are corporally punished.
 2,252   babies are born to mothers who are not high school graduates.
 2.447   babies are born into poverty.
 2,482   children are confirmed as abused or neglected.
 2,756   high school students drop out. *
 3,879   babies are born to unmarried mothers.
 4,356   children are arrested.
16,964   public school students are suspended. *

* Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each)

Best State Delegations for Children/

State Delegation   Average   Rank

Massachusetts        97%      1
Vermont              96%      2
Rhode Island         94%      3
Hawaii               92%      4
North Dakota         74%      5

Worst State Delegations for Children

State Delegation   Average   Rank

Idaho                0%       50
Wyoming              4%       49
Oklahoma             5%       48
Alaska               7%       47
Kentucky             8%       46

NB State delegation scores were computed by adding senators' and
representatives' votes in favor of CDF Action Council positions, in
nine Senate votes and nine House votes, and dividing by the number of
votes scored. Ten were final votes on tax bills or the 2006 federal
budget. The remaining eight were on other types of legislation, in
bills or amendments to bills, some of which helped children and some of
which hurt them. Missed votes and votes cast as "present" are scored as
votes against children.