Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding

Each year funding is allocated to a variety of federally funded programs that include breastfeeding support through the federal appropriations process. Appropriations for breastfeeding have helped build and strengthen critical programs and initiatives to improve maternity care practices, increase access to peer & professional support, ensure continuity of breastfeeding care, increase support for breastfeeding employees, and address disparities in breastfeeding rates. Funding relevant to the breastfeeding field are primarily included in the Labor-HHS and Agriculture appropriations bills.

Opportunities for Action

USBC is urging Congress to increase funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Your Voice is Needed: Take Action to Support Federal Funding for Breastfeeding

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Historic Funding Levels for the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding Program

	FY2012	FY2013	FY2014	FY2015	FY2016	FY2017	FY2018	FY2019	FY2020	FY2021	FY2022
Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding	$7M	$2.5M	$8M	$8M	$8M	$8M	$8M	$8M	$9M	$9.5M	$9.75M

Federal Program Funding in the FY2022 Federal Budget

	Connection to Infant Feeding	*FY2021 Enacted*	FY2022 President's Budget	FY2022 House Bill	FY2022 Senate Bill	FY2022 Enacted
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding	Funding for this program comes from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support breastfeeding families in maternity care settings, communities, and workplaces.	$9.5M	$9.5M	$9.5M	$10.5M	$9.75M
Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health	The REACH program works to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities through local, culturally appropriate programs, including breastfeeding support programs.	$63.95M	$63.9M	$73.95M	$70.95M	$65.95M
Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country	The GHWIC program includes increased breastfeeding as a long-term goal.	$22M	$22M	$27M	$24M	$22.5M
Safe Motherhood and Infant Health	Breastfeeding is included in the Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and Substance Abuse During Pregnancy programs within the SMIH program.	$63M	$89M	$119M	$103M	$83M
Food and Nutrition Service
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program	WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.	$6B	$6B	$6B	$6.28B	$6B
WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program	WIC peer counselors are mothers in the community with personal breastfeeding experience who are trained to give information and support to new moms.	$90M	$90M	$90M	$90M	$90M
Health Resources Service Administration
Maternal and Child Health Block Grant	Breastfeeding is included in the MCH Block Grant National Performance Measures.	$712.7M	$822.7M	$868.7M	$857.7M	$748M
Healthy Start	The Healthy Start program implements community-based interventions to improve the health of mothers and children, including breastfeeding education.	$128M	$128M	$145M	$137M	$132M
Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies	RMOMS supports grants to improve access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities by increasing the delivery of and access to preconception, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum services, including breastfeeding support.	$5M	$10.4M	$10.4M	$10M	$6M
Office on Women's Health
Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Promotion of Optimal Birth Outcomes	Funding for OWH to convene a committee to oversee and coordinate the HHS Action Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America.	-	-	-	-	$1M
National Institutes of Health
Panel on planning or conducting research specific to pregnant people and lactating people	Funding for NICHD to contract with NASEM to convene a panel with specific legal, ethical, regulatory, and policy expertise to develop a framework for addressing medicolegal and liability issues when planning or conducting research specific to pregnant people and lactating people.	-	$1.9M	$1.5M	$1.5M	$1.5M

Federal Agency Funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bills

Federal Agency/Division	FY2021 Enacted	FY2022 President's Budget	FY2022 House Bill	FY2022 Senate Bill	FY2022 Enacted
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	$7.9B	$9.7B	$10.5B	$9.73B	$8.46B
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity	$56.9M	$56.9M	$56.92M	$56.92M	$58.4M
Health Resources and Services Administration	$7.2B	$12.6B	$8.7B	$9.2B	$8.9B
Maternal and Child Health Bureau	$975.284M	$1.5B	$1.18B	$1.15B	$1B
U.S. Department of Labor	$12.5B	$14.3B	$14.7B	$13.8B	$13.2B
Wage and Hour Division	$246M	$327.5M	$300M	$278.7M	$251M
Women's Bureau	$15M	$20M	$25M	$22M	$18M
Office of Minority Health	$61.8M	$61.8M	$75.8M	$66.8M	$64.8M
Office on Women's Health	$35.1M	$35M	$42.1M	$43.1M	$38.1M
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality	$345.3M	$380M	$380M	$380M	$350.4M
National Institutes of Health	$42.9B	$51.7B	$49.4B	$47.9B	$45B
Office of Research on Women’s Health	$43M	$52.3M	$61.5M	$57.4M	$59M
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	$404.5M	$445.9M	$445.9M	$424.9M	$420M

About the Federal Budget Process

Each federal budget is developed for what is called a Fiscal Year, which begins on October 1 and runs through September 30 of the following year. Developing a federal budget begins with the President submitting a budget plan. The President's budget reflects the vision, values, and priorities of the Administration and sets the stage for the federal budget negotiation process.

Congress then develops its budget plan, called the budget resolution, to set a total amount for spending in the year ahead. The budget total is sent to the House and Senate appropriations committees, where it is divided among 12 subcommittees each charged with developing an appropriations bill. Appropriations Committees hold "mark-ups" for each of the 12 annual spending bills.

Once these bills pass both Houses, they must be "conferenced" to work out any differences between the two versions. House-Senate conference committees make final determinations and prepare a Conference Report. The Conference Report is then passed by the House and the Senate and sent to the President to be signed.

Learn more about the federal budget process.