Ocasio-Cortez Advocates for Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Support for New Parents and Infants

Washington, D.C. - Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) continued to fight against major cuts to maternal and infant health programs during a hearing with the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. In the last few months, Representative Ocasio-Cortez introduced the bipartisan Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025. This legislation would reauthorize the Healthy Start program, which provides critical funding for community-based efforts that improve maternal and infant health.  

In New York’s 14th district, the Bronx Healthy Start Partnership serves more than 475 families in our community each year - providing case management, educational activities, and connections to food, housing, and transportation assistance. 

Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill,’ which funds tax cuts for the wealthiest people on the planet, makes drastic cuts to health care resources across the country. This bipartisan bill would ensure that Healthy Start programs across the country can continue to fill in where traditional health care falls short.

Find Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks as delivered below:

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to our witnesses for being here today. 

Less than two weeks ago, we saw Republicans vote to completely gut Medicaid, which covers nearly half of all births in the United States. And they did this despite the fact that the United States, the richest country in the world, also has the highest rate of maternal deaths among all wealthy countries.

Black women, in particular in America, are dying at more than three times the rate of white women in childbirth. And we also have the highest rate of infant deaths overall, compared to other high-income countries. 

We're also the only country that doesn't guarantee health care as a basic human right. Doctor Chen, as a medical provider, can you speak to why the United States has such high rates of infant and maternal mortality?

This is not actually my area of expertise, so I don't want to speak out of turn. Our Maternal Child Health Bureau does cover this issue very, very closely. And we're happy to follow up with you afterwards.

I understand, and, you know, given this, I also think it's important that we talk about the Healthy Start program. The Healthy Start is a federally funded bipartisan program whose sole purpose is to reduce infant deaths and improve the health of pregnant women and new mothers. 

There are more than 115 Healthy Start programs across the country in both Republican and Democratic districts. In fact, Healthy Start was actually created by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1991. 

Healthy Start programs, like the ones in my community in the Bronx, provide education for new parents so that they can safely care for their baby and one-on-one support through home visits. They ensure that families are connected to the services they need, like housing, food, transportation, and prenatal and postpartum care. Doctor Chen, your agency, oversees the Healthy Start program, correct?

Yes, in the Maternal Child Health Bureau.

And as I mentioned earlier, it was created under Republican President George H.W. Bush. But since then, Healthy Start has been reauthorized several times on a bipartisan basis. The last time it was reauthorized was during President Trump's first administration. 

And that is because Healthy Start works. Women in Healthy Start receive earlier and more frequent prenatal care. Fathers are more engaged and babies are born healthier, under this program. 

I'm proud to be leading the reauthorization of this with Representative Malliotakis and continuing the bipartisan tradition of this program. And I'd like to urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bipartisan effort to reauthorize Healthy Start.”

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