(Updated August 25, 2025)

In July, by a strong bipartisan vote of 26–3, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Committee released its version of the FY2026 LHHS appropriations bill, which included Healthy Start at the full funding level. Hooray! This milestone would not have been possible without your collective outreach and advocacy—thank you for standing with us to protect Healthy Start!

What’s Next

The full Senate must now vote on the LHHS bill, and the House of Representatives still needs to draft its version. Both chambers must ultimately pass a final FY2026 budget that includes funding for Healthy Start.

We have updated our campaign to reflect two coordinated actions:

1. A thank-you campaign to Senate LHHS Appropriators for including Healthy Start. Say thank you via this link:
2. An urgent advocacy push to welcome the House LHHS Subcommittee back from recess with a request to ensure Healthy Start is included in their version of the bill. Participate here by entering your information in the next section (click the "Start Writing" button). The language has been refreshed so you can participate even if you submitted a letter previously.

Detailed Context

Operated by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Healthy Start funds a network of community-based programs designed to reduce maternal and infant mortality, ensure healthy outcomes during the first year of life, and support at-risk pregnant and post-partum women. Healthy Start is a proven, evidence-based model that has measurable results. HRSA’s assessment of the program states, “Healthy Start is successful in reducing infant mortality in the nation’s highest risk populations for adverse outcomes.”

Healthy Start is a discretionary program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and receives its annual funding through the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittees in the House and Senate.

On May 10, 2025, the President proposed eliminating all funding for Healthy Start in the FY2026 Budget, citing it as duplicative. This follows similar language in the leaked internal HHS reorganization plan and budget.

As Congress works toward marking up and finalizing the FY2026 appropriations bill, we urge members to reject efforts to eliminate Healthy Start and continue funding at no less than $145 million to sustain the existing 115 programs nationally.

About the Healthy Start Initiative

Launched in 1991, Healthy Start is a federally funded, community-driven program focused on improving birth outcomes and reducing disparities.

The United States has the highest infant mortality rate among high-income countries. Healthy Start serves 115 high-risk communities nationwide. All sites are located in areas with infant mortality rates at least 1.5 times higher than the national average. The program traditionally attracts bipartisan support and aligns closely with a pro-family agenda, emphasizing prevention, early intervention, and locally tailored solutions.

Healthy Start projects work to prevent infant deaths by:

• Increasing access to prenatal and postpartum care
• Screening and support for domestic violence and postpartum depression
• Distributing safe sleep and infant health resources
• Offering fatherhood support and parenting education
• Addressing systemic drivers of poor birth outcomes through community improvement projects

What's at Stake

The President's proposal to eliminate Healthy Start would dismantle a program that has supported more than 85,000 families annually in historically underserved areas, reduced health disparities through evidence-based interventions and culturally tailored care, and leveraged community partnerships to improve perinatal outcomes.

Healthy Start's integrated, whole-family model is not duplicative but complementary to other maternal-child health programs. It bridges clinical care, community services, and equity-centered strategies in ways that other block grants or Medicaid funding mechanisms do not.

Uniquely, Healthy Start reduces federal spending by preventing costly preterm births and infant deaths through early, targeted interventions in high-risk communities, lowering the need for expensive neonatal care, special education, and long-term disability support, which together cost the U.S. $12 billion annually.

What's Next

Collectively, we must urge Congress to continue to provide at least $145 million in funding for the Healthy Start Initiative in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget.