Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and Pennsylvania-based surgeon Dr. Ala Stanford joined Protect Our Care to spotlight the urgent need to pass the Momnibus and address America’s worsening maternal health crisis. The United States is in the midst of a maternal health crisis, with the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income nations, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.
At the same time, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are making the crisis worse. They have slashed over $1 trillion from the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, hiking costs and taking away vital care from millions of families. Protect Our Care’s Hospital Crisis Watch shows that over 40 maternity care providers have already shuttered, putting the care of mothers and their children in jeopardy. Read Protect Our Care’s new fact sheets on Black maternal health, women and moms, and people of color.
“The Momnibus is not a band-aid — it is the solution that America’s moms are demanding, and Congress must pass it now,” said Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14). “Donald Trump and RFK Jr are dismantling critical life-saving health programs that support our mothers and families. The big, ugly bill cuts more than a trillion dollars from our health care, including the largest cut to Medicaid ever, and we know these cuts are hurting moms and families. Addressing the maternal mortality crisis is not a partisan issue. Every single family deserves to feel joy and wonder and hope about bringing a new life into the world, and every mom deserves to come home safe. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
“Our country is in a storm, and Black mothers are right in the center,” said Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). “Every day in America, mothers are being lost to preventable complications. Each of these deaths is a tragedy that rocks a family and a community. The Momnibus confronts this crisis from every single angle. This is not just about health. It’s about human dignity. It’s about survival. It’s about living up to the promise of our country that everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and happiness, and together, I believe we can make a change.”
“The actions by President Trump and Congress last year were really devastating for health care in general, but specifically for maternal health,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “Hospitals right now are facing significant changes in income; they are looking hard at whether they can keep their labor and delivery units open or even whether they can keep their doors open at all. New barriers are making it more difficult for people to get health care coverage and to see their doctors. We must understand how important it is that we continue to have our policymakers work on improving our health care system by passing legislation and moving the needle to make sure that we are getting Americans the care that they need.”
“When you cut Medicaid, you are not cutting a budget line, you are closing a door on a mother who has nowhere else to go,” said Dr. Ala Stanford, Pediatric Surgeon, Founder of the Black Doctors Consortium and the Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity. “I took an oath to do no harm. I carry that oath into my clinic every day, and I carry it into every policy conversation because I have sat with families who lost someone, not because medicine failed them, but because the system did. The Momnibus gives Congress the tools to act. Pass the Momnibus, fund the care, save the lives.”
“The United States is facing a maternal health crisis, and for Black women, it is a full-blown emergency,” said Joi Chaney, Policy and Health Equity Senior Advisor, Protect Our Care. “The Momnibus is not just policy — it is a roadmap to saving lives and truly protecting the health of women. But at the very moment when we should be expanding care, Republicans are stripping it away. GOP cuts have already led to the closure of maternity care providers, including labor and delivery units, while ending the health care tax credits has driven up costs and put care further out of reach. We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Underwood and Sen. Booker, who are working to reverse this course and ensure mothers and families are not left behind.”