New Legislation Would Help Military Families Struggling with Diaper Costs

Mar 13

Two lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a new bipartisan bill that would help military families with children and on tight budgets to purchase and gain better access to diapers and supplies.

Reps. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) on Tuesday introduced the Military Family Diaper Partnership Act which would establish what they call a Military Family Diaper Fund to support military families and children of servicemembers by providing reliable access to diapers and related supplies.

The legislation follows the pair’s previously introduced legislation in November 2025 called the Military Family Diaper Assistance Act, intended to also aid military families’ pocketbooks by establishing a pilot program that would connect community diaper banks with military installations to increase affordability and diapers to families in need.

“Military families make enormous sacrifices every day, moving to new communities, juggling deployments, and keeping life running at home while their loved ones serve,” Foushe said in a statement. “Caring for young children under these conditions can already be overwhelming, and access to basic necessities like diapers should never be a struggle.”

Mackenzie in a statement said he and his fellow congressional colleague are “doubling down” on their previous legislation.

“It’s time to provide military families with the support that they’re counting on to help them grow and thrive,” he said.

Law Would Link DoD, Diaper Bank

If taken up by Congress and ultimately voted into law, this legislation would direct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to enter into an agreement with the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN)—the nation’s leading organization coordinating the donation and distribution of free diapers and essential supplies across the country.

That arrangement would involve the Department of Defense providing $1 million annually from Fiscal Year 2027, which would begin in October 2026, to FY 2030 to establish the Military Family Diaper Fund.

NDBN would match those federal funds, equating to a combined total four-year investment of $8 million and support diaper distribution centers located within a 20-mile radius of military installations.

Also, per the agreement, NBDN would submit an annual report to Hegseth or whoever is the defense secretary at the time, providing detailed accounts of funding to provide transparency and accountability.