Implications of Federal Nutrition Policy Changes for Maternal and Child Health

Abstract

Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) fundamentally changes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest food assistance program in the United States and a key support for maternal and child food and nutrition security. The OBBBA reduces SNAP eligibility, expands work requirements, eliminates nutrition education, prevents future benefit increases, and shifts significant costs to states. Combined, these changes may have a direct negative effect on women and children who rely on SNAP for adequate nutrition and may also reduce their access to other programs with automatic SNAP eligibility, namely the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and other child nutrition programs. The loss of this foundational public health nutrition infrastructure may negatively affect infant birth outcomes, child growth and development, and maternal morbidity and mortality. Although some state governments have implemented actions to reduce the effect of federal SNAP changes on maternal and child health, federal legislation to permanently reverse OBBBA SNAP provisions is critical to prevent short- and long-term harms. Adequately funded and accessible federal food and nutrition education programs have the potential to support the goals of the Make America Healthy Again initiative and the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to support access to and consumption of whole, nutrient-dense foods and improve maternal and child health. Policy actions and funding levels for federal nutrition programs therefore should align with the stated goals of these initiatives. The purpose of this article is to describe OBBBA SNAP provisions and other related policy actions or inactions and their implications for maternal and child health in the United States.

The purpose of this series is to critically examine emerging federal and state health policy changes and their implications for the health and well-being of women, childbearing families, and young children and to provide evidence-based analyses that inform the nurses who care for these populations. The author solicitation and preparation of each article are overseen by series coordinators Mindy B. Tinkle, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, associate professor, and Nick Edwardson, PhD, MS, associate professor, College of Nursing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.