Vulnerable children in Washington and across the United States need Congress to move swiftly on the national stimulus package proposed by President Barack Obama, says state Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park.

“Congress must act quickly to prevent hundreds of thousands of American children from falling into the deep state-budget holes being created by this recession,” said Kagi, who represents District 32, which includes Bothell.

Kagi issued the call for action in her role as chair of the Human Services and Welfare Committee for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a position she has held since July. She also chairs the Early Learning and Children’s Services Committee in the state House of Representatives.

According to Kagi, the Obama stimulus plan — officially named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — is vital to saving children’s programs from the impact of the economic downturn on state budgets.

Child care and Head Start illustrate the potential impact of the Obama proposal, Kagi said.

“Nationally, the Obama plan would enable 110,000 more low-income children to benefit from Head Start and 300,000 more children to receive child care while their parents work,” Kagi said. “We have mountains of evidence to prove these programs work, yet across the nation, state-budget axes are threatening these proven programs.”

State-by-state numbers on the potential impacts of the Obama plan are not yet available.

Kagi rejected the notion that budget cuts to children’s programs amount only to “delays” in achieving goals such as improved child-care quality and early learning.

“Vulnerable kids don’t get to relive years of their lives,” Kagi said. “When services designed for at-risk infants, toddlers and younger children are delayed, they are really being denied. That is why congressional passage of the Obama plan is an urgent priority for everyone who cares about America’s children and the future.”

Obama is calling on Congress to pass a stimulus plan within weeks, rather than months.