Beatty Pushes Back as Trump Budget Proposal Threatens to Gut Head Start

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement in response to reports that President Trump may eliminate Head Start funding in his upcoming budget request:

"President Trump’s plan to eliminate Head Start—after 60 years of proven success helping children and families thrive—is yet another reckless and heartless attack on Ohio’s working families, children, and future.

Head Start has changed the trajectory of generations by providing critical early education, nutrition, and health services to children and families who need them most. In Ohio alone, more than 33,000 children and their families rely on Head Start every year. It directly supports over 7,000 jobs and empowers 21,000 parents across the state to pursue work or education, which in turn fuels our local economy—returning up to $10 for every dollar invested.

In my district, OH-03, the consequences of ending Head Start would be devastating: more than 2,700 child care slots could be lost, along with over $42 million in support for Central Ohio families, educators, and service providers.

This proposal isn’t just an attack on people and a program—it’s an attack on possibility, on opportunity, and on the future of America’s children and families.  Head Start often helps more than one generation. Let’s be clear: you cannot call yourself ‘pro-life’ while gutting the very programs that support life in its earliest, most formative stages. You can’t claim to support families while pulling the rug out from under them.

My Republican colleagues need to join me in protecting Head Start—a lifeline that strengthens children, families, and entire communities.

We cannot go backward as the fight against poverty intensifies.  We must protect the progress we’ve made.”

###