Maternal mortality review board funding set to end

Funding for state committees to review maternal deaths and identify their causes is set to expire Sept. 30, causing advocates to scramble to ensure Congress extends funding by the deadline. The committees’ findings have resulted in protocols to prevent hemorrhage, sepsis and suicide, with the goal of reducing U.S. maternal mortality. The Trump administration’s budget proposal did not include funding for the Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality, or ERASE MM, program, which funds the committees, although the Senate Appropriations Committee last week marked-up a bill that includes ERASE MM funding. However, that bill has not advanced yet, and advocates worry the ERASE MM is not garnering attention due to layoffs at federal health agencies and impending Medicaid cuts. (ProPublica article, 8/8/25)