WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined advocates on September 9 to call for federal action against diaper insecurity, a problem affecting nearly half of U.S. families with young children, according to new data from the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN).
The briefing, hosted by NDBN, featured the launch of Mapping Diaper Insecurity in the U.S., an interactive dashboard developed with the Urban Institute. The tool estimates that families with children under age three need 4.8 billion diapers annually, and it pinpoints county-level shortfalls to highlight local demand.
“The dashboard you all have created will give us a better sense of the challenges our families across the country are having,” said U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ-8). “This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, or Black or White or Brown. The issue impacts all Americans. And so we should be able to come together.”
Speakers emphasized the wide-ranging impact of diaper shortages. U.S. Rep. Brittany Petterson (D-CO-7) tied the issue to workforce participation, noting that more than 10,000 new mothers in her state want to work but face barriers due to childcare and related costs. “We need to make sure that our kids are taken care of from day one, that our moms are able to be in the workforce, and that their kids are clean, dry, and healthy,” she said.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7), a father of a toddler with another child on the way, pointed to broader cost-of-living concerns. He voiced support for the Improving Diaper Affordability Act of 2025, which would make diapers eligible for purchase through Health Savings Accounts and prohibit states from taxing them. Mackenzie called the measure “common sense.”
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), chair of the Congressional Dad’s Caucus, stressed the importance of making policymakers aware of the cost burden. “Diapers are one of those issues. Until you’re in it, literally in it, you don’t really know what you’re dealing with, how much they cost,” he said.
Beyond the diaper affordability bill, NDBN urged support for the End Diaper Need Act, which would allocate $200 million annually to provide diapers to low-income families, and for amendments to Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs to cover diaper costs.
Advocates argue that addressing diaper insecurity could improve child health, ease financial strain on families, and help more parents re-enter the workforce. With both Democratic and Republican lawmakers backing the effort, the issue is gaining traction as a bipartisan priority in Congress.
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