“Our country’s military families will be healthier and stronger because Congress included the Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve (MOMS) Act in the National Defense Authorization Act both chambers have passed. It will improve the mental health of military moms by supporting a badly needed 5-year pilot program to prevent and treat maternal mental health conditions and bring evidence-based maternal mental health programs into the military’s health care system.

“Maternal mental health problems are common and often devastating, and military mothers — those who serve and those with spouses who serve — have a 2-3 times higher risk of experiencing them than their civilian counterparts, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office study. Mental health conditions are a leading cause of our country’s devastating maternal health crisis, which takes an especially terrible toll on Black and Indigenous women. So we are extremely pleased that Congress has taken this action and thank U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) for championing the MOMS Act. We will work to ensure the progress continues with enactment of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act very soon.

“But moms are deeply disappointed that House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans added a provision to the NDAA at the last minute that prohibits military health programs from providing care to transgender children of service members. Politics has no place in medical decisions and this provision undermines both the wishes of parents and the health of military families. It is truly disgraceful that Republican leaders continue stoking cruel, divisive culture wars by stigmatizing and demonizing trans children.”