GOP senators launch new push to back mothers with MOMS Act
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will put forward the MOMS (More Opportunities for Mothers to Succeed) Act on Tuesday, aiming to provide critical support to America's mothers, both prenatal and post-partum, as Mother's Day arrives Sunday.
Britt said the number of births in the U.S. in 2023 was the lowest since the Carter administration, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The Republican Party is the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of families," she added to Fox News Digital.
"At the heart of the MOMS Act is building a comprehensive culture of life to give moms, children and families the support system they need to thrive and live their American Dream."
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"As a mom myself, I don't have to wonder what other moms are facing – I'm living it. I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing in life than our children and I also understand the types of challenges that women face during their pregnancy journeys and while raising their kids. I'm proud to support women throughout these seasons of motherhood, and the MOMS Act is part of my continued commitment to fight on their behalf.
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Britt is joined on the bill by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and several dads as well, including Sens. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., David McCormick, R-Pa., Charles Grassley, R-Iowa and others.
McCormick told Fox News Digital he was proud to join such a "pro-family effort," while warning that the U.S. birth and fertility rates have been "alarmingly low" for some time.
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"I'm proud to join [my] colleagues in this pro-family effort to help ensure new and expecting mothers can access the resources they need for the long-term health and well-being of themselves and their children," he said.
The MOMS Act would establish a new "pregnancy-dot-gov" for expectant and post-partum mothers as well as those with young children, in order to increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers and other assistance by ZIP code.
For states like Alabama, where rural communities are especially in need of such support, it would establish a grant program that would help assuage the more than 20 counties in the Yellowhammer State alone that are considered "maternity care deserts."
Britt's last attempt at putting forward MOMS Act legislation was blocked by Democrats whom she said had erroneously characterized the bill as creating a federal pregnancy database, among other "outlandish" claims.
The 2025 version also includes Cramer's Unborn Child Support Act to allow state governments to apply child support obligations during gestation.
While no Democrats have yet come out in public support, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine recently co-sponsored the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act with Britt to strengthen tax credits aimed at lowering the cost of day care and the like.Original article source: GOP senators launch new push to back mothers with MOMS Act
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