H.R. 9583: Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Act of 2026

This bill would direct the U.S. government to expand foreign aid programs focused on maternal and child health, with a particular emphasis on helping more pregnant women in lower-income countries get multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), including prenatal vitamins.

What the bill would do

• States that U.S. policy should treat maternal and child survival as an important part of foreign assistance and global health strategy.
• Sets a goal of reducing preventable deaths among mothers and children in selected priority countries and increasing access to key health interventions by 2030.
• Prioritizes funding for cost-effective measures such as prenatal and postnatal care, skilled birth attendance, treatment of infections and childhood illnesses, breastfeeding support, malnutrition screening and treatment, vitamin A and other micronutrient supplements, and immunizations.
• Creates a specific initiative to scale up access to MMS prenatal vitamins in priority countries chosen by the responsible foreign assistance agency.
• Requires the agency to pick priority countries based on factors such as malnutrition rates, underserved populations, and the country’s readiness and commitment to improve maternal and child health.
• Requires the agency to update the list of priority countries within five years if needed.
• Requires annual reports to Congress for five years on progress, including how many women are reached, how countries are selected, coordination with other programs, funding commitments from other donors and host countries, and obstacles to implementation.
• Directs the agency to create a 5-year maternal and child health strategy with specific targets and outcome measures.
• Requires annual reporting on funding, baseline data, program plans, performance indicators, and a common system for tracking spending across agencies and programs.

Funding

The bill authorizes up to $150 million per year from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the MMS scale-up program, drawn from the State Department’s Global Health Programs account.

Practical effect

In practice, the bill would expand U.S.-supported health and nutrition programs overseas, especially programs that provide prenatal vitamins and other maternal and child health services in countries identified as highest need. It would also increase reporting and planning requirements for the responsible federal agency.

Relevant Companies

None found