A dozen rambunctious children may not seem like a fitting backdrop for a discussion about the federal budget, but the curious faces and excited giggles helped underscore an important point advocates hoped to drive home Thursday:

If passed, a U.S. House of Representatives proposal that calls for $50 billion in budget cuts, largely in social service programs, will be felt by even the smallest of Utah's residents.

"Those are the faces that will be negatively impacted if these cuts go through," said Carolyn Forbush, director of the YWCA's Lolie Eccles Child Care program.

Last year, the center provided child care for 182 children, 120 of whom were homeless. It also runs a Head Start program, which relies entirely on federal funding.

"Without the funding to that program, these families would not be able to come to child care at all," Forbush said.

"Even though it looks like just child care, it has a huge impact on the state economy," she said.

As Congress prepares to come together in the next two weeks to negotiate differences in federal budget proposals, advocates for Utah's low-income families and children also joined one another in a news conference at the Salt Lake YWCA in urging citizens to contact their lawmakers and lobby for the more modest Senate proposal.

Although it still recommends $35 billion in cuts, the Senate version avoids drastic cuts to programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the Community Services Block Grant, the primary source of funding for Utah's emergency food pantries.

"These are the social safety net programs, the programs that low-income families and children rely on to help get them from one day to the next," said Andrew Riggle, federal budget campaign coordinator for Utah Issues.

Said Karen Crompton, executive director of Voices for Utah Children: "The House budget gives new meaning to the phrase 'Women and children first.' "

Of particular concern to Utah advocates is the House's recommendation for increased cost-sharing for Medicaid patients, meaning increased premiums and co-payments for many of the 200,000-plus Medicaid recipients in Utah.

Based on his experience, Dr. Mike Miescier, a pediatrician at Primary Children's Medical Center, said Thursday the increased out-of-pocket expenses will simply mean low-income families will forgo preventative or early health care. Children with asthma or a toothache, for instance, will not receive prompt medical treatment to prevent more serious issues.

"Both of these examples could easily lead to more severe disease, hospitalization, more suffering for the child and family, more lost work time for the family and all of the increased financial costs associated with more advanced disease," Miescier said.