03.28.18

Chairman Enzi Continues Work to Streamline Early Education Programs

WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is continuing his work to streamline federal early learning and child care programs. He recently wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar requesting his help to consolidate fragmented and overlapping early education programs.

In 2012 and 2014, the Government Accountability Office issued reports citing 45 separate federal early learning and child care programs and recommending that the secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services coordinate with other federal agencies offering these programs. 

“Both the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act include provisions that seek to address this overlap and fragmentation. These laws require reviews of early learning programs, plans to eliminate overlap and fragmentation, and subsequent reports to Congress on the status of those efforts. Unfortunately, Congress has yet to receive from the Department the annual report that was due in December 2017,” Enzi wrote. 

The Every Student Succeeds Act includes a provision authored by Chairman Enzi that requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with the heads of other federal agencies to conduct an interdepartmental review and develop a plan for streamlining early education programs. The goal is to reduce wasteful spending and provide better services to those in need. 

“It is important for Congress to have this information in order to conduct oversight and ensure the proper use and maximum impact of public funds spent in this area,” wrote Enzi. “Investments in early learning and child care programs can benefit the nation and save taxpayers down the road, and we have a duty to all our citizens, particularly those served by these programs, to ensure the wise and efficient use of those resources.” 

Read the full letter here.

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