Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Malliotakis Bill to Reauthorize Healthy Start Passes Out of Committee Unanimously

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Washington, D.C. - Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) advocated for her legislation, which she leads alongside Representative Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), that supports maternal and infant health programs during a markup in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. After discussing the bill, the full committee unanimously voted to advance the Congresswoman’s bipartisan Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2025 to the House floor for a vote.  

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

“Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.

And I, of course, like to join in the unanimous celebration and happiness with Representative Cammack, and her recent birth and her beautiful baby girl.

And, you know, I raise it because - and before I move on, I'd also like to thank Chairman Guthrie for bringing this reauthorization to the full committee markup, as well as Congresswoman Malliotakis for her partnership in this bill. Many of you have heard me discuss the Healthy Start program before.

This is a bipartisan program that has existed and actually started under President George H.W. Bush in 1991 to reduce infant deaths across the country. Healthy Start is a beautiful, and again, bipartisan program that helps moms learn how to breastfeed, learn safe sleep practices, have access to some diapers, and formula.

And while the United States experiences some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, Healthy Start has been a bright spot in helping reduce those deaths. And this reauthorization is something that is really important not just to me, not just to Congresswoman Malliotakis, but it's so essential to families across the country. And I kind of want to take a moment to take a beat and a pause today and appeal to all of us in this room.

I understand that we are in an environment where reauthorizations can't be taken for granted, that in a Republican majority, there is a strict and thorough assessment of what merits reauthorization and what doesn't. And in that, sometimes there are meritorious people and communities that fall through the cracks. And oftentimes, working moms in this country and new moms in this country who are at risk, and who are at risk for pregnancies with complications, fall through those cracks.

These moms don't have lobbyists. They don't have industry. And this reauthorization, while on its face may seem small, can really change a lot of people's lives. I really don't want to see this fall through the cracks after 30, over 30 years of successful bipartisan work on this.

And to that end, I sincerely want to extend my gratitude to Chairman Guthrie when there was a moment that this reauthorization may have gotten lost in the weeds. He was willing to give it a fair hearing and a fair shot. And I am deeply, deeply grateful that it has made it to this markup. And I'm deeply grateful for the bipartisan support for this reauthorization. And, again, I don't think that we should take it for granted.

And so, I want to extend my gratitude for the Republican support for this reauthorization. And I would not be a congresswoman if I didn't have an additional ask, which is, I would like to ask for some of my Republican colleagues and partners here to help us get this through the Senate. 

I'm really, genuinely concerned. Healthy Start helps working moms in all 50 states. Every single one of us represents or knows families that benefit from it, that would not know how to, you know, put their baby to sleep properly if it wasn't for the federally available resources to teach them these things. And so I ask that we not allow this to fall through the cracks. 

I ask us to continue the bipartisan support for this. And I also ask us, to treat this as an opportunity, to create a bright spot and hope for people - that we can still do good things in such a dark and challenging time. So, we have testimony from mothers that have benefited from this program that I would like to submit to the record.

But one mom has said: ‘Healthy Start has taught me how to care for my baby, understand his needs, and keep him safe. I learned about safe sleep practices, developmental milestones, and how to advocate for my child's health. That guidance gave me something no material item ever could, which is confidence.’ 

So, I seek to submit these stories to the record, and I look forward to trying to get this to the president's desk and I yield back. Thank you.

The gentlelady yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Any further discussion on the bill? Okay. Hearing none…The question now occurs on adopting H.R. 3302.

On that vote, there are 49 ayes and zero nos.

The ayes have it. The bill is adopted.”

This legislation would reauthorize the Healthy Start program through Fiscal Year 2030, which provides critical funding for community-based efforts that improve maternal and infant health. Healthy Start currently funds more than 115 locally-based programs in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico - providing case management, educational activities, and connections to food, housing, and transportation assistance. 

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