Senate Committee Advances Maternal Health Initiatives and Health Research Funding for Fiscal Year 2026

Each year, Congress must pass funding bills to keep the government running and fund federal agencies, including critical public health programs. Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved their version of the fiscal year 2026 HHS funding bill, which includes investments in a number of ACOG funding priorities.

While some agencies receive flat funding or modest budget cuts, the bipartisan bill provides a $400 million increase in funding to the NIH, including a $20 million increase for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) while notably rejecting the administration’s proposal in the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request to restructure and drastically downsize HHS.

Additionally, thanks to the advocacy of ACOG, organizational partners, and champions in Congress, the draft includes:

• A $3 million increase for the CDC Safe Motherhood program, which includes support for state maternal mortality review committees and perinatal quality collaboratives
• Language directing the NICHD to lead the development of a uniform definition of severe maternal morbidity to improve data collection and research
• A $20 million increase for the NIH IMPROVE Initiative, which supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal mortality and improve maternal health outcomes
• Flat funding for the CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network
• $200,000 for the Pregnant and Lactating Women’s Advisory Committee to support advancing the inclusion of pregnant and lactating people in clinical trials
• 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
• $1.75 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
• Funding for firearm injury prevention research at CDC and NIH
• Flat funding for the National Health Service Corps
• Flat funding for the Title X Family Planning Program

The bill includes language directing NICHD to prioritize research into gynecologic conditions, including fibroids and PCOS, and to reestablish its Safe to Sleep campaign, which was cancelled in April 2025 and which dramatically reduced the number of SIDS cases over its 30-year campaign. It also encourages the Health Resources and Services Administration to evaluate ob-gyn unit closures in rural areas.

In addition, the bill maintains language that prohibits the administration from making changes to facilities and administrative cost reimbursement at NIH and requires agencies to maintain enough staff to support their responsibilities, pushing back on the recent wide-ranging layoffs of federal workers.

This is the first step in a lengthy process. The House is not expected to consider its HHS funding bill until the fall.

Visit ACOG’s action page for opportunities to engage with your legislators on this and other ACOG priorities.