1,000 Days Statement on the President’s FY26 skinny budget request
The President’s skinny budget request released Friday contains deeply alarming cuts to nutrition and food security programs both at home and abroad. These cuts threaten moms and babies around the world and endanger American lives and global interests.
Overseas, the PBR cuts down or eliminates programs that provide critical food and nutrition services to moms and their children including: feeding hungry kids with food grown by American farmers; making sure moms have prenatal vitamins that keep them and their babies healthy; supporting moms to breastfeed; and saving kids who are on the brink of dying from starvation, including by giving them ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).
These programs save millions of lives and serve the strategic interests of the United States. They keep Americans safe from diseases, create enduring alliances with other countries, open new markets for American goods, and prevent conflict and migration caused by food insecurity.
The president’s budget request also includes drastic cuts to domestic programs supporting maternal and child health. This includes eliminating funding for programs that work with state and local partners to improve Americans’ nutrition and physical activity.
Congress has the ultimate power to pass a budget that protects, strengthens, and enriches the United States through robust food security and nutrition programs. We call on Congress to use this power to protect vulnerable moms and babies everywhere.