What’s in the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposals for Babies?

ZERO TO THREE’s analysis of federal funding proposals examines funding levels across agencies for the programs and services that impact infants, toddlers, and their families. 

The President starts the federal funding process each year by sending a budget proposal to Congress. The President’s Budget (PB) is a blueprint, signaling the priorities of the Administration and sets the tenor of the negotiation process. This year, President Biden’s budget for 2025 proposed several key investments to support babies and strengthen families, including funding affordable and quality child care; reinstating the enhanced, fully refundable Child Tax Credit; creating a national paid family and medical leave program; and fully funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).  

Once the President’s Budget proposal is released, the House of Representatives and the Senate can begin work on the annual appropriations bills that set funding levels for federal programs. They divide the total amount of funding among twelve appropriations bills that cover funding for different agencies. This year, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have both approved their versions of the Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (L-HHS) bill that funds many of the federal programs that benefit babies and families. Overall, the bipartisan Senate bills include funding levels that are equal to or higher than the Republican-led House bills for child care, Head Start, infant and early childhood mental health, maternal health, and other family support programs. Other bills fund programs for child nutrition and housing. The stringent budget caps agreed on by the President and Congress last year are reflected in these proposals and mean many programs will receive little to no increased funding. 

Yet, given the late start to this year’s negotiations and the hyper partisan environment in an election year, it is highly unlikely Congress will pass a funding package in time for the start of Fiscal Year 2025, which begins October 1, 2024 (learn more about how a bill becomes a law). Rather, Congress will probably pass a Continuing Resolution, or CR, to fund the federal government at current levels past the election to provide themselves with more time for final negotiations. 

See the table below for more information on past and proposed federal funding levels for key programs that ZERO TO THREE tracks, organized by ZERO TO THREE’s policy framework for what all children need: Good Health, Strong Families, and Positive Early Learning Experiences. Stay connected with ZERO TO THREE for updates on the Fiscal Year 2025 funding process and what it means for babies. 

Download the PDF file below.