ACOG Priorities Included in Fiscal Year 2026 Funding Agreement

Last Updated: February 4, 2026

Earlier this week, Congress passed legislation to fund HHS—and that legislation, thanks to years of dedicated ob-gyn advocacy, includes several ACOG funding priorities.

As a direct result of ACOG members’ advocacy, this bipartisan legislative package includes …

• Reauthorization of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act through 2030—with an increase of $42 million per fiscal year—to continue federal support for maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) and maternal health programs at CDC
• Reauthorization of the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act, or PREEMIE Act, through 2030
• Reauthorization of Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education program through 2029 with an increase of over $175 million
• Reauthorization of the National Health Service Corps through 2026
• Reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act to improve mental and behavioral health among health care professionals

Key ACOG priorities supported in the bill also include …

• A $3 million increase to the CDC Safe Motherhood/Infant Health programs for a total of $113.5 million supporting MMRCs; perinatal quality collaborative; Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, or PRAMS; and other key maternal and infant health programs
• A $30 million increase to the Office of Research on Women’s Health, of which $10 million is designated for the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health program
  • The bill directs NIH to make funds available for making grants to serve and promote the interests of women in research
• A $10 million increase for the Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone, or IMPROVE, initiative at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal mortality and improve maternal health outcomes
• $818.7 million for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, including a $5 million increase for special projects; the grant was initially proposed to receive a near $46.5 million cut in the House and $14 million cut in the Senate
• $200,000 for the Advisory Committee to support implementation recommendations from the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women to advance the inclusion of pregnant and lactating people in clinical trials
• A $2 million increase for the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health
• Sustained funding for CDC, CMS, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• An increase of $1.04 billion for the Indian Health Services
• $2 million for the Stillbirth Working Group to support improved data collection; identify risk reduction strategies, especially in disproportionately affected populations; and initiatives for bereavement care
• Level funding for the Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Substance Use Disorder program at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Continued funding for the breast cancer and ovarian cancer research programs within the medical and health care programs of the Department of Defense
• Continued funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Funding for firearm injury prevention research at CDC and NIH
• Flat funding for the CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network
• Flat funding for Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
• A further extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2027

The bill rejects the administration’s proposal to restructure and drastically downsize HHS and instead proposes HHS receive $116.5 billion, which is $100 million below the fiscal year 2025 enacted funding level but well above the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request. It also rejects the administration’s proposal in the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request to drastically cut NIH funding, consolidate NIH institutes, and trim funding for and consolidate some CDC programs.

The bill includes new protections to help NIH fulfill its mission, including limits on changes to policy on essential indirect cost recovery for NIH-supported research, following dedicated advocacy from ACOG and other partners. It also notably requires HHS to maintain enough staff to support their responsibilities, pushing back on the wide-ranging layoffs of federal workers.

As Congress begins its process for the next fiscal year, ACOG is continuing its advocacy to highlight the value of priority health initiatives and research efforts.

Visit the ACOG Action Center for opportunities to engage with your legislators on this and other ACOG priorities.