The federal budget features a cornucopia of spending priorities, the largest of which are devoted to the elderly via Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. These entitlements do not require annual reauthorization or appropriation, but enjoy automatic annual increases and continue to grow apace, putting a squeeze on other domestic spending.

By contrast, the majority of programs directed toward children don't share that stability. Funding for children's programs comes at the whim of Congress, either through legislation affecting existing programs or the creation of new programs. Since 1960, most children's programs have shrunk as a share of Gross Domestic Product and the overall "children's budget" has only maintained its share by adding major new programs every few years.

Panelists will review federal spending trends in programs devoted to children, analyze how those programs have fared against other national priorities, and look at what the future holds for state and federal funding of children's programs.

Speakers:

• G. William Hoagland, vice president of public policy, CIGNA Corporation, and former policy advisor and top budget aide to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
• Scott McCown, executive director, Center for Public Policy Priorities
• C. Eugene Steuerle, senior fellow, Urban Institute, and co-director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
• Fred H. Wulczyn, research fellow, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago
• Moderator: Lori Montgomery, reporter, The Washington Post