National

  • Child Health

    Legislation Should Address Vaccine Hesitancy and Rise in Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

    Vaccines are essential to protecting children, families, and communities, and herd immunity is especially critical for vulnerable children with medical conditions as well as infants too young to be immunized. To maintain and increase vaccine coverage that will ensure necessary herd immunity, parents must have confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines, exemptions must be restricted, and existing exemptions must be monitored.

    | National

  • Child Health

    Addressing Our Nation’s Alarming Maternal Mortality Rates

    Each year, an estimated 700 women in the United States die from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. Since the CDC began tracking maternal mortality rates in 1987, the United States has seen a sharp increase in pregnancy-related deaths, most of which are entirely preventable.

    | National

  • Child Health

    Ongoing Attacks on SNAP

    Today, the Trump administration published a final rule that will weaken SNAP by imposing time limits and work requirements. By USDA’s own estimates, this change will result in nearly 700,000 people losing benefits. Earlier this year, CDF urged the Administration to withdraw this rule as well as other recent proposals to take food from hungry families.

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  • Health

    Comments on USDA's Proposed Rule Regarding SNAP SUAs

    CDF submitted comments on USDA's proposed rule regarding SNAP Standard Utility Allowances (SUAs). The proposed rule would limit states' flexibility to set the SUA, resulting in a reduction in SNAP benefits for many hungry children and families across the country and exacerbating the struggles many low-income families have paying for both food and utilities. Given the disturbing and lasting impact this would have on children's food security, health and well-being, we urged the administration to withdraw this proposed rule.

  • 30 Years Later, the US Has Yet to Commit to Protecting Children’s Human Rights

    On this day in 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, spelling out basic rights children should have everywhere. Despite the Convention's essential role in improving the lives of children around the world, the US remains the only UN member who has yet to ratify it.

    | National