Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, PUMP Act Protections Expanded, & More

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, PUMP Act Protections Expanded, & More

1/9/2026

Weekly Wire: January 9, 2026

The Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire e-Newsletter is a compendium of news, actions, and resources considered to be of interest or relevance to the breastfeeding field. The newsletter aims to support the USBC mission "To drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States." Included items are submitted for consideration or identified by the USBC e-news team via extensive online review. Whenever possible, the newsletter utilizes language directly from the primary source of an item without additional analysis or edits. In some cases, the USBC offers additional perspectives through the "USBC Insights," media and partner highlights, and the "News & Views" section. Inclusion of an item in the e-newsletter does not imply endorsement or support by the USBC of an item or organization, unless specifically noted.

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- 2026 National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening: Call for Proposals Closes Sunday!
National News
- 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released
- PUMP Act Coverage Takes Effect for Rail and Motorcoach Workers
- NIH IMPROVE Act Introduced in House and Senate
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

denotes a USBC member organization news item denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

USBC Updates

2026 National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening: Call for Proposals Closes Sunday!

If you are considering submitting a plenary proposal for the 2026 National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening (NBCC), there is still time to share your vision with us! The application will close this weekend on Sunday, January 11, at midnight PT. This year's conference centers on reflection, revitalization, and renewal, exploring how our collective history informs current strategies and inspires future action in organizational capacity building, collective impact-based systems change, and community-rooted advocacy. Learn more about the USBC conference on the 2026 NBCC webpage, including opportunities for marketing and sponsorships, hotel room reservations, registration, and more.

National News

2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) have a significant impact on food and nutrition policy, including determining future standards for critical federal nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The new DGAs adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on breastfeeding, recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding as long as mutually desired by the mother and child for two years or more.

Media highlights include:

AAP News: "New dietary guidelines include AAP recommendations on breastfeeding, limits on added sugars"
MedPage Today: "How Medical Groups Reacted to the New Dietary Guidelines"

PUMP Act Coverage Takes Effect for Rail and Motorcoach Workers

Beginning Monday, December 29, 2025, certain employees of rail carriers and motorcoach service operators are covered by the PUMP Act. These workers now have the right to reasonable break time to express breast milk and access to a private space, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion. These accommodations must be provided for one year after a child’s birth, though exemptions may apply if compliance would result in unsafe conditions or significant expense. The Department of Labor has released a fact sheet outlining how these exemptions apply.

USBC Insight: When the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act was enacted in December 2022, its application to rail carrier and motorcoach service employees was delayed for three years. That delayed provision took effect in December 2025, extending workplace lactation protections to workers in transportation settings where accommodations have historically been limited. While industry-specific exemptions may still apply, this marks an important expansion of federal lactation protections for a previously excluded workforce.

NIH IMPROVE Act Introduced in House and Senate

Representatives Underwood (IL-14) and Fitzpatrick (PA-01), alongside Senators Britt (AL) and Booker (NJ), introduced the NIH IMPROVE Act (H.R. 6238/S. 3254). The bipartisan bill would provide consistent funding for the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) research initiative, launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2019 without a sustained funding source. The bill would authorize funding for the program for an additional seven years. Read the press release.