Reading Is Less Fundamental in Bush Budget

Reading Is Less Fundamental in Bush Budget

Feb 07 2008

CEO of Reading Is Fundamental Carol Rasco issued a statement warning that "President Bush's proposed budget calling for the elimination of Reading Is Fundamental's (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program would be devastating to the 4.6 million children and their families who receive free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs.... Unless Congress reinstates $25.5 million in funding for this program, RIF would not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation's youngest and most at-risk children."

RIF encourage those concerned to contact their members of Congress via the RIF website.

Elsewhere in the budget, Bush proposed a funding hike for public libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)—but froze the budget for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program at $19.1 million, the same level as 2008.

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