We believe advancing equity with meaning and impact begins with a personal learning journey. It’s ongoing work that is never-ending and ever-evolving.

This journey may start individually, but connecting and holding space with people who have a shared identity can support continued advancement. Recognizing this important aspect, the USBC has been offering Identity Caucus space at our conferences since 2017, supporting individuals from across the country to convene and meet in person. Groups like the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Identity Caucus continue to meet regularly and organize events like the recent Lactation Community Forum hosted during AANHPI Breastfeeding Week. 

We want to continue and expand this effort. 

While USBC-affiliated Identity Caucuses have been on hiatus, we want to bring them back. Before we do, we want to gauge the interest of the field. If you are interested in joining or being a leader within your identity group, please make sure to fill out the USBC Identity Caucus Interest Form to be included in these efforts as the groups start coming together. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Why are Identity Caucuses so valuable? One participant shared:

​The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is thrilled to have wrapped up another successful National Breastfeeding Month! Our collective work promoting, protecting, and supporting breastfeeding and human milk access for all families is ongoing, so we are taking a moment to look back on some of the highlights from the month.

​In our commitment to advancing equity in the field, we recognize the importance of acknowledging the unique challenges, barriers, and needs each community faces in optimizing infant nutrition. Semana de La Lactancia Latina is an exciting new addition to the month during which we can amplify the breastfeeding experiences of Latino families across the nation. Each week offered opportunities to learn, connect, and take action.

​In the most visible celebration of National Breastfeeding Month in U.S. Breastfeeding Committee history, we co-produced a video billboard advertisement that aired in New York City's Times Square during National Breastfeeding Month! 

Created in partnership with A Better Balance, the American Civil Liberties Union, MomsRising, National WIC Association, and the Center for WorkLife Law, the ad, which ran on two billboards, celebrated the passage of the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and included consumer-friendly information on these essential new rights for parents. Visit the Know Your Rights webpage to learn more. 

The celebration began with the Bumps & Pumps Pop-Up event in Times Square, coordinated by MomsRising. This public event featured a special address from former Representative Carolyn Maloney, a longtime champion for pregnant and breastfeeding workers.
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In addition, this year, the USBC celebrates the achievement of 23 state, city, and county proclamations acknowledging National Breastfeeding Month and weekly observances. Thank you to everyone who organized the applications for those proclamations, and to everyone who engaged with National Breastfeeding Month celebrations and contributed to the month’s success!

The fiscal year 2024 appropriations process is underway. Congress has taken many steps to advance the 12 appropriations bills that set the federal budget, however, there are a range of disagreements that are holding up the process. Follow the status of each of the spending bills in the Congressional Research Service Appropriations Status Table: FY2024.

Funded provisions in these bills can be found on the Federal Appropriations for Breastfeeding webpage. The webpage traces program funding levels at each step in the federal budget process.   

The appropriations bills and associated reports also include a variety of unfunded or one-time directives:
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