Recent news and opportunities for action regarding the federal policy landscape, impacting children in Massachusetts and across the country. Visit our Federal Advocacy page for more information about key issues that CLM regularly tracks.
Take Action!
Several federal policies currently under consideration could impact children, families, and vulnerable populations. We encourage members to make their voices heard by submitting comments and participating in advocacy opportunities. Links to take action are listed below!
- Sign Petition to Assert that Social Work is a profession | NASW
- Memo to Implementers of the Fostering the Future Executive Order - Online Platform | Journey to Success
HUD Continuum of Care Funding Changes
Recent federal guidance for the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) program proposes major funding shifts that could significantly disrupt homelessness services. The new Notice of Funding Opportunity would cap renewals at roughly 30 percent of existing projects, putting many housing programs and the people they serve at risk. The NOFO also introduces new requirements tied to alignment with the administration’s policy priorities, including limitations related to DEI and LGBTQ+–affirming practices and expectations around coordination with law enforcement. Advocates warn these changes could weaken housing stability efforts nationwide.
Child Labor Awareness and Advocacy
The issue of child labor remains a critical concern both domestically and globally. Stop Child Labor is a national campaign working to end all forms of child labor by raising awareness, educating policymakers, and mobilizing advocates around solutions that ensure children can safely learn, grow, and thrive. The initiative provides tools, research, and action resources for those working to protect children’s rights and eliminate exploitative labor practices.
Gender-Affirming Care Restrictions Impacting Children and Youth
The Trump Administration has released a series of proposed rules and guidance that would significantly restrict access to gender-affirming care for children and adolescents, particularly through limitations on hospital participation in Medicare and Medicaid and reductions in coverage. Advocates have raised concerns that these changes would undermine evidence-based care, create barriers for providers, and disproportionately harm transgender and gender-diverse young people. Massachusetts has joined a lawsuit by 19 states and the District of Columbia to block this rule.
- New Trump Administration Proposals Would Further Limit Gender Affirming Care for Young People by Restricting Providers and Reducing Coverage | KFF
- HHS Acts to Bar Hospitals from Performing Sex-Rejecting Procedures on Children | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children | Federal Register
- Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children | Federal Register
- More than a third of states sue HHS over a move that could curtail youth gender-affirming care | Boston Globe
Looking Ahead: Child Welfare Financing Reform
Beyond immediate regulatory actions, national advocates are continuing to track longer-term efforts to reform how child welfare systems are financed and held accountable. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Child Welfare Financing Blueprint outlines potential pathways for improving outcomes for children and families while addressing longstanding structural challenges in federal funding.