Organizations Urged to Sign Letter Opposing Proposed FY 2026 Cuts to Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant

The House and Senate are advancing Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills that propose significant reductions to the Title V MCH Services Block Grant, particularly the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) portion. The Senate bill recommends a $14 million decrease, while the House bill calls for a $46.449 million reduction. These cuts would jeopardize federal investments that support research, workforce development, data systems, and innovative state and community programs that advance maternal and child health. 

AMCHP is circulating a sign-on letter opposing these proposed reductions and urging Congress to protect critical MCH funding. This letter is open to national, state, and local organizations and academic institutions.  

Read the full FY 2026 SPRANS Appropriations Letter 

Congress

• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: AI's Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families (On October 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing to discuss AI’s Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families with witnesses: Dr. Russ B. Altman, Kenneth Fong Professor and Professor of Bioengineering, of Genetics, of Medicine, of Biomedical Data Science, Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, John Bailey, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Harriet Pearson, Managing Principal at Axia Advisory, Dr. Juliet Schor, Professor at Boston College, and Carlos Aramayo, President of UNITE HERE Local 26) 

• USA Today: Government shutdown live updates; Senate rejects spending deal; judge blocks mass layoffs 

• ABC: How Affordable Care Act subsidies became a sticking point in the government shutdown 

Executive Branch

• The White House: UNLOCKING CURES FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC Immunization Schedule Adopts Individual-Based Decision-Making for COVID-19 and Standalone Vaccination for Chickenpox in Toddlers 

• Administration for Children and Families: ACF Awards Over $100 Million to Promote Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Strong Families Across America 

• Federal Register: Notice of Request for Comments on Draft Recommendations To Update the HRSA-Supported Women's Preventive Services Guidelines Relating to Screening for Cervical Cancer 

October 2025 Reduction in Force 

• Politico: White House to continue RIFs as shutdown drags on 

• AP: Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement 

• Modern Healthcare: White House begins HHS firings as government shutdown persists 

Judicial Branch

• NPR: Judge pauses shutdown layoffs at more than 30 federal agencies 

• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials: Public Health Litigation Round-Up 

• Bloomberg Law: Unions Ask for Immediate Court Block on Shutdown Layoffs (1) 

• Missouri Independent: Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue 

• Oyez: Supreme Court of the United States 2025-2026 Term 

• National Conference of State Legislatures: Ways to Ensure Newborns and Their Moms Have Bright Futures 

• Detroit Free Press: Has cash in hand helped moms and babies in Flint? What new research says. 

• Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families: States Should Use Rural Transformation Fund to Focus on Children and Families 

• Femtech Insider: March of Dimes Innovation Fund Marks Three Years with Six Portfolio Companies Advancing Maternal and Infant Health 

Upcoming Events

• October 17, 12 PM ET – Food Policy Opportunities to Build a Healthier America, a virtual conversation held by the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (Penn LDI) to examine what policies are most likely to lead to health improvements and how governments can design effective food policies that support better health outcomes. Learn more and register. 

• November 13, 2 PM ET – AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Hall, join our Policy and Government Affairs Team to learn about the latest updates in federal maternal and child health policy. Learn more and register. 

• November 18 – 21 – GIH Health Policy Exchange 2025, an annual conference that provides policy-engaged funders with information on current issues, access to leading thinkers, and connections with grantmaking peers. Learn more and register.  

• January 22 – 23, 2026 – Families USA’s Health Action Conference 2026, an annual conference to bring together health advocates nationwide. Learn more and register.  

• February 8 – 11, 2026 – American Hospital Association Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, an annual conference with top rural practitioners sharing actionable strategies and resources aimed at improving access to care, leveraging unique workforce approaches and implementing digital technologies. Learn more and register. Learn more and register.  

• March 7 – 10, 2026 – Join us for our 2026 AMCHP Annual Conference to be held in Washington, DC, and one of the largest gatherings of maternal and child health leaders and thinkers in the U.S. Early Bird Registration is now open, and proposals under any of the eight topical areas, including Policy & Impact, are being received through October 31, 2025. Learn more and register | Submit a Proposal. 

Additional AMCHP Resources

• Visit our Government Affairs webpage for information on our appropriations work, our Federal Policy Agenda, recordings of past Town Halls, and archives of this newsletter.

• Explore the AMCHP Resource Library.

• Check out our Exploring MCH Policy and the Policy Process e-learning module. 

• Learn about pending federal legislation to improve MCH from our Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker. 

• Discover innovative policies in the MCH Innovations Database.

• Explore Careers at AMCHP and find additional openings in maternal and child health on the AMCHP Career Center.



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