March of Dimes Responds to Proposed Federal Budget Cuts and HHS Workforce Reduction Impacting Maternal and Infant Health
Statement from Stacey Brayboy, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy, March of Dimes
On Friday, the White House released a preliminary outline of the President’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which calls for a $163 billion reduction in non-defense discretionary spending, a 23% cut from current-year levels. The proposal comes just weeks after a significant workforce reduction across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and includes major program funding shifts that could deprioritize and threaten the continuation of maternal and infant health programs nationwide.
In response, Stacey Brayboy, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy at March of Dimes, issued the following statement:
“While we understand that the full budget details are still forthcoming, the proposal released Friday raises serious concerns about the future of maternal and infant health in the United States. At a time when maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high and 1 in 10 babies is born too soon, this level of disinvestment in public health, particularly in the wake of recent restructuring at HHS, could have long-lasting consequences for families across the country.
For decades, March of Dimes has partnered with key federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to build the data collection systems, clinical tools, and resources that providers rely on every day. These agencies are the foundation of our nation’s response to the maternal and infant health crisis. Their work is especially critical in communities facing the highest burdens, where access to care is limited and disparities are growing, particularly among our most vulnerable moms and babies.
We are encouraged by the administration’s stated focus on chronic disease prevention, and we know that healthy pregnancies start long before conception. According to the 2024 March of Dimes Report Card, pre-pregnancy hypertension rose by more than 10% in just one year. Hypertension can lead to serious complications for both mom and baby, including preeclampsia, preterm birth, and even death. Without access to quality care before, during, and after pregnancy—especially in communities facing the greatest barriers—these troubling trends will only continue to get worse.
As Congress considers the President’s proposed budget, we urge lawmakers to protect the programs that families and their providers rely on not only for care, but also for the health outcomes data and research that help organizations like March of Dimes drive solutions in addressing our country’s unacceptably high rates of maternal and infant mortality and preterm birth. It’s critical that we continue to prioritize the health of moms and babies across the country. We remain committed to working on a bipartisan basis with leaders to help ensure that every family has a healthy start.”