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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

The USBC is urging Congress to increase funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item in the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Learn more about the impact of this funding.

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

Click here to take action

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Click here to join the organizational letter

Historic Funding Levels for the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding Program

• FY2022: $9.75M
• FY2021: $9.5M
• FY2020: $9M
• FY2019: $8M
• FY2018: $8M
  
• FY2017: $8M
  

• FY2016: $8M
• FY2015: $8M
• FY2014: 8M
• FY2013: $2.5M
• FY2012: $7M
  

FY 2023 Appropriations: Current Status and What it Means for Infant Feeding

View the Congressional Research Service Appropriations Status Table to access House and Senate appropriations bills and associated reports. 

The House Committee on Appropriations approved the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bills and associated reports. Funding provisions that impact infant feeding are included in several appropriations bills:

• Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
  • Bill Text
  • Bill Report
  • Committee Bill Markup
• Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act
  • Bill Text
  • Bill Report
  • Committee Bill Markup
• Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
  • Bill Text
  • Bill Report
  • Committee Bill Markup

A detailed analysis of the funded provisions from these bills and associated reports is included in the following chart. 

	Connection to Infant Feeding	FY2022 Enacted	FY2023 President's Budget	FY2023 House Bill	FY2023 Senate Bill	FY2023 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.	$9.75M	$9.5M	$9.75M	TBD	TBD
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.	$65.95M	$63.95M	$75.95M	TBD	TBD
Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country	The GHWIC program includes increased breastfeeding as a long-term goal.	$22.5M	$22M	$26.5M	TBD	TBD
Safe Motherhood and Infant Health	Breastfeeding is included in the Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and Substance Abuse During Pregnancy programs within the SMIH program.	$83M	$164M	$143M	TBD	TBD
National Early Child Care Collaboratives	NECCC funding helps children up to five years old develop healthy eating and physical activity supporting healthy growth, including brain development, and decrease their risk later in life for obesity. CDC funds, trains, and assists in obesity prevention efforts in early childhood education (ECE) settings, also known as child care, based on the CDC's guiding framework called the Spectrum of Opportunities which outlines how states can embed obesity prevention standards to ensure healthy eating, breastfeeding support, and physical activity and support and monitor state ECE system progress.	$4M	$4M	$5M	TBD	TBD
Office on Women’s Health
Analysis of the macroeconomic, health, and social costs of U.S. breastfeeding rates and national breastfeeding goals.	The Office on Women’s Health and the National Academy of Sciences shall provide a differential analysis of the current policies, programs, and investments aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates, reducing racial, geographic, and income-related breastfeeding disparities, and reducing U.S. reliance on formula, as well as propose recommendations for achieving the Healthy People 2020 and 2030 breastfeeding goals.	-	-	$1.25M	TBD	TBD
Health Resources Service Administration
Maternal and Child Health Block Grant	Breastfeeding is included in the MCH Block Grant National Performance Measures.	$747.7M	$953.7M	$872.7M	TBD	TBD
Healthy Start	The Healthy Start program implements community-based interventions to improve the health of mothers and children, including breastfeeding education.	$132M	$145M	$145M	TBD	TBD
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.	$6M	$10M	$8M	TBD	TBD
National Institutes of Health
Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative	The IMPROVE initiative supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health for women before, during, and after delivery.	$43.4M	$30M	$30M	TBD	TBD
Research on COVID-19 and pregnancy and postpartum health	NICHD will support research on mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancies, lactation, and postpartum health with a focus on individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.	N/A	$3M	$3M	TBD	TBD
Pregnant Women and Lactating Women Advisory Committee	The Committee includes funding for the creation of an Advisory Committee to monitor and report on the implementation of the recommendations from the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women (PRGLAC).	N/A	N/A	$200k	TBD	TBD
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Pregnant and Postpartum Women Substance Use Disorder	Support for breastfeeding and lactation are included in some resources produced through this program.	$34.9M	$43.4M	$49.9M	$TBD	TBD
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 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	TBD	TBD
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	TBD	TBD
Food and Drug Administration
Maternal and Infant Health and Nutrition program	The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to take regulatory and other actions to address emerging issues of concern, including nutrition work specific to infants, toddlers, and pregnant and lactating women.	$11M	$20M	-	TBD	TBD
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Research on Health Costs, Quality, and Outcomes: Improving Maternal Health	This new funding will support research to ensure that Federal, State, and local policymakers have timely and accurate data and useful analytic resources about maternal health and the healthcare system with which to make informed policy decisions.	N/A	$7.4M	$7.4M	TBD	TBD

Federal Agency/Division	FY2022 Enacted	FY2023 President's Budget	FY2023 House Bill	FY2023 Senate Bill	FY2023 Enacted
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	$8.46B	$10.7B	$10.5B	TBD	TBD
Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity	$58.4M	$56.9M	$58.4M	TBD	TBD
Health Resources and Services Administration	$8.9B	$13.3B	$9.6B	TBD	TBD
Maternal and Child Health Bureau	$1B	$1.75B	$1.2B	TBD	TBD
U.S. Department of Labor	$13.2B	$14.6B	$15B	TBD	TBD
Wage and Hour Division	$251M	$307.7M	$313M	TBD	TBD
Women's Bureau	$18M	$25M	$35M	TBD	TBD
Office of Minority Health	$64.8M	$86M	$81M	TBD	TBD
Office on Women's Health	$38.1M	$42M	$48M	TBD	TBD
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality	$350.4M	$415.9M	$385M	TBD	TBD
National Institutes of Health	$45B	$62.5B	$47.5B	TBD	TBD
Office of Research on Women’s Health	$59M	$52.6M	$64M	TBD	TBD
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	$420M	$464.7M	$464.7M	TBD	TBD