Katie Britt advances $73.4 million for NIH IMPROVE Initiative

August 8, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama), as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, secured a $20 million increase for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Implementing a Maternal Health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. With Senator Britt's support, the total appropriated in the Committee's bill for the NIH IMPROVE Initiative would be $73.4 million for FY25.

This program supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health care for women before, during, and after pregnancy.

"Alabama has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. This disproportionately affects black women," said Senator Britt. "In 2024, it should not be like this. I was proud to advance a $20 million increase that I secured for the NIH IMPROVE Initiative for Fiscal Year 2025. These funds would help support critical research on reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal care. I'll continue to make this a top priority. Senator Laphonza Butler and I have introduced the NIH IMPROVE Act, which would ensure consistent funding for this important program, and we are working to enact this commonsense, bipartisan legislation into law."

The FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

During the Senate Appropriations Committee's markup of the bill last week, Sen. Britt emphasized the importance of this issue and thanked members of both parties for their attention to it.

Sen. Britt has also joined Senator Laphonza Butler (D-California) in introducing the NIH IMPROVE Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide consistent support and resources for the NIH Improve Initiative to conduct important research into the causes of America's maternal mortality crisis and to improve health care and outcomes for women before, during, and after pregnancy.

Katie Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022.