WASHINGTON – The White House released a summary of its budget plan for 2014 yesterday, which includes increases on both cigarettes and tobacco products to fund a nursery school program and reduce youth smoking.

The Preschool for All initiative is an effort “to build a foundation for success in the formative years of life,” and is slated to be financed by raising the federal tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products, “which would also have substantial public health impacts, particularly by reducing youth smoking,” the budget summary states.

Other highlights of the budget include: 

• $1.8 trillion of additional deficit reduction over 10 years. 
  
• $400 billion in health savings that address waste and fraud, an effort to strengthen Medicare. 
  
• A reduction of the deficit to 2.8% of GDP by 2016 and 1.7% by 2023.
  

NACS is reviewing the president’s budget plan and will provide an analysis should his plan come before Congress for a vote.