Throughout the week of December 8, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) has been leading the Maternal & Child Health Appropriations Alliance’s (MCHAA) MCH Funding Week of Action, mobilizing national partners, advocates, and family leaders to urge Congress to prioritize robust and sustained federal investments in maternal and child health (MCH).
MCHAA is a growing coalition of MCH and MCH-related organizations focused solely on ensuring robust and sustained federal investment in MCH. Together, leaders and subject matter experts from policy and advocacy groups, public health and governmental health agencies, clinical and provider networks, and community-based organizations partner to highlight the importance and interconnectedness of the various federal programs that support the health, safety, and well-being of mothers, children, and families nationwide.
To kick off the Week of Action, AMCHP coordinated the development and delivery of MCHAA’s first-ever FY2026 appropriations sign-on letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership. The letter calls on Congress to pass the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) bill into law with the highest possible funding levels for the full continuum of MCH programs. It also emphasizes the importance of avoiding an additional government shutdown or further reliance on short-term continuing resolutions to ensure states, communities, and federal agencies that receive funds can sustain critical MCH programs, activities, and infrastructure. Further, the letter underscores alarming concerns about proposed reductions for key MCH programs – including cuts to the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant’s Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) and elimination of, Healthy Start funding – and urges Congress to restore SPRANS to at least $210.1 million and fund Healthy Start at no less than $145.25 million, consistent with the levels in the Senate FY 2026 bill. Read the letter and view the signers.
Additionally, MCHAA organized a targeted Hill Day that included in-person and hybrid meetings with representatives from 13 national organizations visiting with over 15 congressional offices. These discussions mirrored the messages in the aforementioned letter and reiterated the importance, interconnectedness, and long-term value of the myriad of federally-funded MCH programs. Further, MCHAA arranged additional virtual meetings with congressional offices throughout the week, with a particular focus on highlighting the voices and stories of family leaders and on-the-ground perspectives.
Throughout the Week of Action, MCHAA also created and disseminated a social media toolkit that partners used to amplify unified messages across networks. The toolkit highlighted the reach, impact, and importance of MCH programs and reinforced the significance of protecting federal MCH investments in the final FY 2026 LHHS bill. Access and utilize the social media toolkit.
AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team will continue monitoring FY 2026 appropriations negotiations and advocating for full restoration and protection of MCH programs. For questions, please contact Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org) or Gabrielle Galusha (ggalusha@amchp.org).
