Yesterday, July 27, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (L-HHS) bill, including a slight decrease to the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (Title V Block Grant) and several other federal programs to improve maternal and child health. The bill proposes $812.7 million for the MCH Block Grant in FY24, which would be a $10 million decrease compared to the final fiscal year 2023 (FY23) funding level of $822.7 million, and significantly lower than the $937 million in the President’s FY24 Budget Proposal. AMCHP is disappointed to see decreases to critical MCH programs even as maternal mortality rates in the United States continue to worsen, particularly for Black and Indigenous birthing people. While we recognize the limitations placed by a budget deal earlier this year, which capped overall government spending for FY24, we implore lawmakers to find a solution to increase funding for the Title V Block Grant in recognition of the critical role the Block Grant plays in the health and wellbeing of our nation’s women, children, and families.
According to our reading of the Senate L-HHS bill, the $10 million proposed decrease to the MCH Block Grant would entirely impact the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS). The state formula fund would remain at the FY23 level of $603.58 million. AMCHP continues to analyze which programs would be affected by the proposed cuts in SPRANS. Learn more about funding for non-Title V Block Grant federal maternal and child health programs on pages 46-49 of the Senate L-HHS bill report.
While we recognize the fiscal constraints and polarization of the current political environment, AMCHP continues to urge Congress to fund the MCH Block Grant at $1 billion in FY24, including an increase for the state formula fund. The MCH Block Grant and other federal maternal and child health programs need sustained, increased investments to address the nation’s worsening maternal mortality crisis and to serve the nation’s MCH populations best now and into the future.
AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team will continue to follow the FY24 appropriations process and provide additional updates. With Congress now on recess for the next six weeks, it is unclear if and how Congress will be able to reconcile and pass the current House and Senate FY24 bills ahead of the fiscal year end on September 30th. It appears increasingly likely that Congress will pass a short-term funding measure, known as a Continuing Resolution or CR, to keep the government funded at current levels and avoid a shutdown while they continue negotiations.
We encourage you to review the following resources for more information about Title V and maternal and child health in the FY24 appropriations process:
- Senate FY24 L-HHS Bill:
- Bill text (see p. 58 for Title V Block Grant);
- Bill summary; and
- Report language (see p. 45 for Title V Block Grant).
- House Republican FY24 L-HHS Bill:
- Bill text (see p. 53 for Title V Block Grant);
- Bill summary.
- President’s FY24 Budget Proposal:
- FY24 Budget Fact Sheet;
- FY24 Appendix for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (see p. 5 for Title V Block Grant); and
- FY24 HRSA Congressional Justification (see p. 198 for Title V Block Grant).
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Government Affairs Team with questions: Amy Haddad (ahaddad@amchp.org) and Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org).
