Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes also threatens efforts to improve maternal care, particularly for Black and Native women. Speaking at a Detroit campaign roundtable with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, she highlighted racial disparities in maternal mortality and criticised political leaders who promote “family values” while restricting targeted support.

Harris said Black women face up to four times the risk of maternal death and Native women three times the risk, while one in 12 American women lives in a maternal-care desert. She also criticised President Donald Trump’s healthcare legislation, claiming it cut Medicaid funding by $1 trillion, and said Republican nominee Mike Rogers supported it; Harris endorsed El-Sayed as a potential champion of maternal health.