Fiscal Year 2024 President's Budget: What It Means for the Lactation Field

​The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released the "Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2024." The report contains the Budget Message of the President for Fiscal Year 2024, information on the President's priorities, and summary tables. Visit the OMB President's Budget webpage.

​The U.S. Breastfeeding completed a detailed analysis of the Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget and associated agency reports on the Federal Appropriations For Breastfeeding webpage. ​

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. The President’s budget is the first step in the negotiation process, which will continue in the House and Senate in the coming months.
 
This is an important policy area for the lactation field. 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 lactation care, increase support for lactating employees, and address disparities in breastfeeding rates. Funding relevant to the breastfeeding field are primarily included in the Labor-HHS and Agriculture appropriations bills.
 
The President’s budget included level funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program at $9.75 million, and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program at $90 million. One of the most notable provisions in the President’s proposal is $325 billion to establish a national paid family and medical leave program, providing up to 12 weeks of leave for eligible employees.
 
The next step in the federal budget process is for the House and Senate appropriations committees to draft and hold markups for each of the 12 annual spending bills. The USBC has submitted appropriations requests with appropriator offices in both the House and Senate, advocating for an increase in funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program to $20M. The USBC will be closely monitoring and mobilizing the field to support federal funding for lactation program. 

​To learn more:

• View the USBC Appropriations 101 webinar recording
• Visit the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Policy Basics Introduction to the Federal Budget Process webpage
• Subscribe to the Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire e-Newsletter to receive updates and action alerts, including individual and organizational action opportunities related to FY24 funding