Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Overview: Implications for Breastfeeding Programs

In May, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, outlining the President’s recommendations for federal spending in the upcoming year. In the weeks following, federal agencies submitted detailed “Budget Justifications” to Congress describing their missions, goals, and line-item funding requests. 

While the President’s budget signals priorities, Congress holds final authority over federal spending. The next step in the process is for the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to draft, review, and negotiate the annual spending bills. 

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) reviews these budget materials each year to identify federal investments that directly or indirectly support breastfeeding, human milk feeding, and lactation.  

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. Most funding relevant to the lactation field is found in the Labor–Health and Human Services (Labor–HHS) and Agriculture appropriations bills. 
Direct federal investment in breastfeeding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program has never exceeded $10 million in a single fiscal year and has remained at $9.75 million since FY 2023. Other investments are indirect, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, which integrate breastfeeding support within broader service models. 

Key Funding Proposals in the FY 2026 President’s Budget Request 
The FY26 President’s Budget request includes several significant shifts affecting programs that directly or indirectly support breastfeeding, human milk feeding, and lactation: 

• CDC: the budget proposes eliminating Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding, which has been funded at $9.75M annually since FY 2023, along with several other CDC initiatives that integrate breastfeeding support, including the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program ($68.95M in FY 2024), Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country ($24M in FY 2024), Safe Motherhood and Infant Health ($110.5M in FY 2024), and the National Early Child Care Collaboratives ($5M in FY 2024). These eliminations are part of the proposed reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would dissolve the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant would see a substantial increase from $603.58M in FY 2024 to $767.3M in FY 2026, with breastfeeding included as a national performance measure. Funding for Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS), which includes breastfeeding support in rural communities, would hold steady at $12M. The Healthy Start program, which has historically included breastfeeding education, is proposed for elimination. 
• ​Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): the Pregnant and Postpartum Women Substance Use Disorder program, funded at $38.9M in FY 2024, is proposed for elimination. 
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): the WIC program would increase from $7B to $7.69B, maintaining level funding for the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program at $90M. Peer counselors provide critical community-based lactation support for new parents. 
• Indian Health Service (IHS): funding for the Public Health Nursing program, which supports Baby-Friendly designation and lactation training for nursing staff, would increase modestly from $112M to $115.9M. 

Across agencies, these proposed changes demonstrate a mix of growth in broader maternal and child health programs alongside reductions in targeted breastfeeding initiatives. The proposed elimination of Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding would remove the only federal program solely focused on advancing breastfeeding across maternity care, community, and workplace settings. While programs like WIC and the MCH Block Grant integrate breastfeeding support into broader service models, they do not replace the targeted reach of CDC’s work in this area. 

Looking Ahead 
Congress will now begin drafting appropriations bills, informed by the President’s proposal and their own priorities. Advocates have a critical role to play in ensuring that breastfeeding, human milk feeding, and lactation support remain visible and protected in the final FY 2026 appropriations legislation. 

The USBC has submitted programmatic requests to appropriators in both chambers of Congress, urging an increase in direct federal investment for the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program to $20 million. We will continue to monitor developments and mobilize the First Food field at key decision points. Organizations and businesses can sign on to the joint letter urging Congress to strengthen funding for the CDC program, and individuals can contact their members of Congress directly through the USBC one-click action tool.  

Federal investment in breastfeeding and lactation programs is not only a matter of maternal and child health—it is a cornerstone of infant nutrition security for families nationwide. 

​​To learn more: 

• Explore the USBC  Federal Appropriations For Breastfeeding webpage for a detailed analysis of FY 2026 funding levels 
• Watch 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