Following Mother’s Day, Congresswoman Gwen Moore Condemns Trump Administration’s Extreme Attacks on Maternal and Infant Health Programs

Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) condemned the Trump Administration’s continuing attacks on federal programs that help support maternal and infant health programs at a time when glaring disparities continues to plague out communities.

“The Trump administration’s haphazard slashing of essential health programs is not just fiscally irresponsible—it’s morally reprehensible. By targeting initiatives that safeguard the lives of mothers and infants, they are undermining decades of progress in public health and undermining access to proven interventions that have reduced mortality. These cuts, orchestrated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have been implemented without regard for the health and well-being of mothers and children across the nation,” Congresswoman Moore said.

Among the programs targeted is the NIH’s “Safe to Sleep” initiative which has been a cornerstone in the fight to end Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID), the sudden unexpected death of an infant before age one, including from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Congresswoman Moore, a longtime advocate for maternal and infant health, was the lead House sponsor of the bipartisan Scarlett’s Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act, which enhances data collection and prevention efforts related to SUID and sudden unexpected death in children (SUDC) between the ages of 1 and 18. That law authorized funding for a number of efforts including to improve death scene investigations through training and to increase education and awareness about safe sleep practices and other steps to prevent infant deaths, and to ensure death reviews are completed for more infant and child deaths. These tragedies can be heartbreaking for families who are often left with little explanation about the death of their infant or child.

Efforts to promote safe sleep among infants have long been proven to help save lives. It works. It’s proven. And now the NIH office that has been a key part of this effort is being shuttered needlessly and arbitrarily.

“Eliminating funding for the ‘Safe to Sleep’ program is a direct attack on the health and safety of our nation’s most vulnerable,” Moore continued. “It’s a slap in the face to every family who has suffered the unimaginable, unexpected, and sudden loss of an infant or child.”

After holding steady for years, sleep-related infant deaths rose by nearly 12% between 2020 and 2022, according to recent data which further highlights the recklessly of this move.

Additionally, the Trump Administration’s 2026 budget proposal slashes funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 40%, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by 44%, and the overall Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by $11 billion, including programs like Healthy Start. These cuts are part of a broader haphazard ‘reorganization’ plan that includes laying off 20,000 HHS employees and consolidating 28 divisions into 15, effectively dismantling key public health programs.

“The Administration’s budget clearly demonstrates a totally disregard for mothers and children in America. And what’s worse, is they are simultaneously trying to cut Medicaid, which finances 41% of all births in the United States.”

“These programs are lifelines for millions of families,” Moore emphasized. “Stripping them away under the guise of budget cuts is a cruel and calculated move that will harm all our communities, disproportionately harm low-income and minority communities. I am calling on the Administration to reverse its cuts to NIH, CDC, HRSA and on my colleagues in Congress to reject proposed cuts to Medicaid that will hit infants and children hard and to reaffirm their commitment to protecting the health and well-being of mothers and children across the nation.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.