Dr. Mariana Chilton warns that, “On Friday if Congress and the president do not act, what is known as the budget sequestration–automatic cuts to a wide range of government programs–will kick in. This spells public health disaster. The first to feel the massive cuts to public health programs will be mothers and young children. The youngest are like canaries in a coal mine – the most sensitive to any change in the political winds, and thus the best human indicators of how well our policies are working. Cuts are scheduled to hit Head Start, childcare subsidies, special education, and mental health services, to name just a few.”