Speak loudly in support of Head Start and LIHEAP programs

Head Start provides crucial support to nearly 800,000 children from low-income families across the country, helping them access early childhood education, nutrition, healthcare, mental health services, and other resources to prepare for school success. Defunding this $12 billion program would rip away not only educational opportunities but also critical childcare that enables parents to work. The Trump administration's callous budget proposal to eliminate Head Start funding disregards the immense harm it would inflict on hundreds of thousands of our nation's most vulnerable children and families. Without this vital program, their path to reaching their full potential is obstructed from the very start. Similarly, the administration aims to terminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that assists 6 million households in affording heating and cooling costs. Discontinuing this aid would leave families, especially elderly residents, at risk of going without essential utilities during extreme weather. Cutting LIHEAP's $378 million remaining funding for this fiscal year alone could deprive over 750,000 households of this lifeline. Both Head Start and LIHEAP are relatively small federal investments that yield immense returns by empowering families to thrive and achieve self-sufficiency. Preserving and fortifying these programs is crucial to creating equitable opportunities and upholding our nation's commitment to its most disadvantaged citizens. I implore you to reject eliminating Head Start and LIHEAP, and instead champion robust funding to strengthen these pillars of support for those striving to build better futures.