The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) continues to lead partners and collaborate with Congressional champions in support of federal maternal and child health (MCH) programs through the annual federal appropriations process for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27).
This month, AMCHP Board President Jacqueline Johnson submitted written testimony to both the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittees. Her testimony urged Congress to provide $1 billion to the Title V MCH Block Grant, including at least $745 million for the state formula fund and $244.7 million for Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS).
In her testimony, Ms. Johnson provided detailed examples of how Title V provides critical, flexible funding that enables state and territorial public health systems to most efficiently, impactfully, and cost-effectively address health gaps and respond to emerging MCH challenges. She noted, “By design, initiatives may vary among states and jurisdictions, but all Title V programs function as chief strategists and architects for maternal and child health initiatives in their respective states.”
She also emphasized the interconnectedness of Title V by enabling cross-jurisdiction collaboration through SPRANS, noting that “these grants support innovation to improve maternal health outcomes; train the next generation of leaders in maternal and child health; improve family/provider partnerships to promote the optimal health for children and youth with special health care needs…” The Title V MCH Block Grant supports the infrastructure, workforce, and public health strategies that make systems work for women, children, youth, families, and the providers that serve them. Read the full House testimony and Senate testimony.
Additionally, AMCHP led efforts to obtain signatories on a series of letters addressed to the leadership of House and Senate Appropriations Committees demonstrating the broad, bipartisan support for funding a myriad of federal programs to improve maternal and child health. Read the letters and view the signers below.
Congressional letters supporting funding for various federal maternal and child health programs, including the Title V MCH Block Grant, in FY27:
- Bipartisan Senate letter supporting the Title V MCH Block Grant, Healthy Start, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) Safe Motherhood portfolio, and NIH pregnancy-related research
- Bipartisan House letter supporting the Title V MCH Block Grant, Healthy Start, CDC’s Safe Motherhood portfolio, and NIH pregnancy-related research
- Senate letter supporting programs authorized in the Rural MOMS Act and the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, including the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) Program
- House letter supporting programs authorized in the Rural MOMS Act and the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, including the AIM Program
- Senate letter supporting CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies (SET-NET) program
- Bipartisan House letter supporting CDC’s SET-NET program
External organization sign-on letters supporting funding for maternal and child health programs and initiatives in FY27:
- National, state, and academic organization letter supporting the Title V MCH Block Grant
- National, state, and academic organization letter supporting CDC’s SET-NET program
AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team will continue to follow the FY27 appropriations process and provide additional updates. In the meantime, we encourage you to review the following resources for more information:
- AMCHP Title V MCH Block Grant: FY27 Funding Ask Sheet
- AMCHP CDC Safe Motherhood Portfolio: FY27 Funding Ask Sheet
- AMCHP CDC SET-NET: FY27 Funding Ask Sheet
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Government Affairs Team with questions: Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org), Gabrielle Galusha (ggalusha@amchp.org), and Kylie Foster (kfoster@amchp.org).
