Political Quotes

“among the associations and organizations that are supporting this amendment is the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes, and many others. Under the President's budget, the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant will be funded at $666 million for the second consecutive year. This amount represents a cut of $65 million from 5 years ago, when funding peaked at $731 million. These persistent cuts and flat funding have a real impact on the services States are able to offer to nearly 35 million women, children, and youth affected by maternal and child health programs. The Maternal and Child Health programs include direct health care for children with special needs, preventive and primary care for children and youth, integration of health care with other child and family services, newborn screening for genetic disorders, lead poisoning prevention, injury prevention, and public education. We must ensure that the States are able to continue to offer these services to those in need. That is why I am offering this amendment, which will increase the funding of this block grant by $184 million to the authorized level of $850 million.”