Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - New Employer Toolkit for Workplace Lactation Accommodations, Urge Congress to Protect Breastfeeding Funding, & 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.

Subscribe: visit the signup page
Submit: visit the submission form

Please note: Inclusion of an item in this e-newsletter does NOT imply endorsement or support of such item by the United States Breastfeeding Committee, unless specifically noted.

The WW goes on hiatus several times a year: the weeks of the Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year's holidays, the weeks before the Presidents Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day holidays, and the weeks of the USBC membership meetings.

Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - New Employer Toolkit for Workplace Lactation Accommodations, Urge Congress to Protect Breastfeeding Funding, & More

5/8/2026

Weekly Wire: May 8, 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
- Action Alert: Urge Congress to Protect Breastfeeding Funding
- New Resource Available: Employer Toolkit for Workplace Lactation Accommodations
- USBC Pre-Conference Session: Strategic Public Health Communications Workshop
- Mothers Are Built to Nourish. Join Us In Supporting Them.
National News
- Access to Donor Milk Act Introduced
- Advancing Safe Medications for Moms and Babies Act Introduced
- FDA Infant Formula Recall PSA
State & Community News
- New York Bills Introduced to Require Health Insurance Coverage for Doula Services
- South Carolina Bill Introduced to Expand Paid Parental Leave to Include Stillbirth
Action Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

Action Alert: Urge Congress to Protect Breastfeeding Funding

The President's FY 2027 Budget proposes eliminating the CDC's Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program. Last year, your advocacy worked—Congress maintained funding thanks to efforts from across the field. Now we need to do it again.

Here are two ways to take action:

Organizations can sign the joint letter by Tuesday, May 19, urging Congress to maintain level funding of $9.75 million for the program. After the deadline, additional signers will be added on a rolling basis and the letter will be re-delivered at key moments in the appropriations process.
Individuals can contact their Members of Congress using our quick action tool to urge them to maintain this funding. This tool will remain active throughout the FY 2027 appropriations process.

What's at stake? Appropriations for breastfeeding build critical programs that improve maternity care practices, increase access to peer and professional support, ensure continuity of breastfeeding care, support lactating employees, and address disparities in breastfeeding rates.

New Resource Available: Employer Toolkit for Workplace Lactation Accommodations

The USBC-affiliated Workplace Support Constellation is pleased to share the Workplace Lactation Accommodations: Employer Toolkit — a practical collection of resources, information, and templates to help employers comply with the federally-mandated PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The toolkit is freely available for organizations and individuals to use and share, making workplaces more supportive of lactating employees.

USBC Pre-Conference Session: Strategic Public Health Communications Workshop

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is pleased to add a new session to our pre-conference offerings, "The Message Gap: Reach the Room. Secure the Funding. Move the Field," a strategic communications workshop for the Public Health field. If your organization's mission is outpacing your ability to communicate it, and your funding is not keeping pace with your impact, this workshop was designed for you. The Message Gap is for anyone in the breastfeeding and infant feeding field who needs their work to land with audiences beyond their immediate professional community.

We are less than a month away from this year’s National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening in Bethesda, Maryland! Register today to join us! Book your stay at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda for this year’s conference by Tuesday, May 12 to secure the group room rate.

Mothers Are Built to Nourish. Join Us In Supporting Them.

At the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, our work begins from a simple truth: families already have the knowledge, ability, and commitment to nourish their children. What’s missing are systems that recognize, protect, and support that reality. We work alongside our members and partners to advance policies that make nourishment possible in practice, not just in principle. This includes advocating for equitable paid family and medical leave, stronger workplace protections, sustained investment in public health and community-based programs, and policies that center lived experience in decision-making.

Donating the the USBC helps sustain and support our work to support families and advance policies that make a real difference. You can also support us by shopping our Mother’s Day merchandise, with every purchase helping fund the advocacy families rely on. Thank you for being part of this work!

National News

Access to Donor Milk Act Introduced

Representatives Houlahan (PA-06), Bice (OK-05), and Salazar (FL-27) introduced the Access to Donor Milk Act (HR 8545). The bill would allow state agencies to support donor milk programs with Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), enable nonprofit milk banks to ramp up production in critical shortages, promote the benefits of and need for donor milk, and solve regulation issues that impact access for medically vulnerable infants. Read the press release.

Advancing Safe Medications for Moms and Babies Act Introduced

Representative Castor (FL-14) introduced the Advancing Safe Medications for Moms and Babies Act (HR 8651). The bill would require the FDA to update its regulations to facilitate the inclusion of pregnant women in clinical trials and establish an education campaign on available clinical trials and registries for pregnant and lactating women. The bill would also direct the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to prioritize research on drugs prescribed for pregnant and lactating women.

FDA Infant Formula Recall PSA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a public service announcement, "a2 Platinum USA Label Infant Formula Recalled Because of Possible Health Risk." The a2 Milk Company (a2MC) has voluntarily recalled three specific batches of its imported a2 Platinum Premium USA label infant formula 0-12 months due to the presence of cereulide, a heat-stable toxin. Media highlights include:

Newsweek: "Baby Formula Recall: Warning Issued for 60K Cans Used to Combat Shortage"

State & Community News

New York Bills Introduced to Require Health Insurance Coverage for Doula Services

New York Senator Cleare introduced S6494, with a companion bill introduced by Assemblymember Solages, A5140. The bills would mandate that health insurance policies include coverage for doula services as required coverage for maternity care.

South Carolina Bill Introduced to Expand Paid Parental Leave to Include Stillbirth

A group of South Carolina Representatives introduced H4611. The bill would expand paid parental leave for state employees and school district employees to include stillbirth as a qualifying event. Eligible employees who give birth or experience stillbirth are entitled to six weeks of paid parental leave, while other eligible employees are entitled to two weeks of paid parental leave.