AAP Statement on Public Charge Proposal

By: Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, president, American Academy of Pediatrics

“The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly opposes the Trump administration’s proposal to rescind the 2022 public charge rule – an action that further threatens the health and well-being of children in immigrant families and sows fear, uncertainty and confusion in communities. 

“This action will have a harmful chilling effect on immigrant families – including those with U.S. citizen children – accessing vital health, nutrition and housing services for which they are eligible. Due to aggressive immigration enforcement in communities across our country, families are already making impossible choices in an effort to remain together and pediatricians are seeing the consequences firsthand with children missing vital appointments and even showing up alone in emergency rooms. This proposal adds one more layer of fear and confusion to immigrant communities and leaves families with a lack of clarity that will cause them to avoid services altogether. It will be children’s health that suffers. 

“As pediatricians, we know that children’s health must be supported so that our communities can thrive. This proposal does not seek to make our communities healthier, in fact, it would do the opposite. The AAP urges the administration to reverse course on this harmful public charge proposal. Policies like this one set us backward and put child health in jeopardy.” 

###

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.