The United States is already facing a maternal health crisis. Now, proposed budget and staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would make this crisis even worse—stripping away funding and support from the very programs that protect families, improve outcomes, and reduce disparities.
A recent Guardian article outlines these alarming developments, including significant reductions in funding for key maternal and child health programs, as well as a proposed 20% cut in the federal workforce supporting them.
These cuts are not abstract. They target the backbone of maternal and child health in this country.
What’s at Risk?
The programs on the chopping block include:
Title V Maternal & Child Health Block Grants
Healthy Start programs
Perinatal mental health services
Community-based supports like home visiting, midwife-led clinics, and culturally-rooted care
These initiatives are lifelines for families—especially Black, Indigenous, rural, and low-income communities. They support frontline midwives, connect people with care, and make the difference between surviving and thriving during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Proposed staffing cuts would further weaken the infrastructure that holds these programs together, reducing oversight, slowing response times, and leaving fewer people to ensure that families actually receive the services they’re entitled to.
Why This Matters to Midwives—and to Us All
At NACPM, we know firsthand how essential community-based midwifery care is to improving outcomes and advancing birth equity. Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) provide relationship-based, culturally congruent care in homes and birth centers—often in communities that lack other options. But we can’t do this work alone.
These federal programs are crucial to supporting the health systems, community outreach, and family-centered models that make midwifery care accessible. Without them, midwives and birthing people will be forced to do more with even less.
The implications are stark: More barriers to care. Greater strain on midwives. Worsening disparities in maternal and infant outcomes.
Now Is the Time to Act
We believe maternal health isn’t a line item. It’s a lifeline.
We urge our members, partners, and supporters to:
Share the Guardian article to raise awareness
Contact your elected officials to oppose these cuts
Tell your story about how these programs have impacted your work or care
Join us in our ongoing advocacy efforts to fund midwifery and maternal health systems that work
Maternal health can’t wait. And neither can we.
🔗 Read the full article in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/05/maternal-child-health-cuts