Funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is at risk amid the ongoing government shutdown, forcing House Republicans to introduce a new bill to address the issue and keep the program operational.
WIC is a federal nutrition program that is responsible for providing food, education, and counseling to at-risk children under five years old and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding individuals.
WIC Funding at Risk Amid Government Shutdown
On Oct. 21, the National WIC Association (NWA), which is a non-profit organization that advocates for WIC recipients, said that millions of families are at risk of losing their benefits on Nov. 1 if there is no additional funding for the program due to the government shutdown.
In a statement, the president and CEO of NWA, Georgia Machell, said that WIC is a "lifeline for nearly 7 million pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children." She noted that even short-term financial disruption to the program's provisions can have significant long-term negative impacts on families, according to USA Today.
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The United States Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for overseeing the WIC program, put the blame for the situation on Democratic lawmakers. This is a similar claim that other Republicans are making, where they argue that their left-hand counterparts are responsible for the shutdown.
The statement noted that Democrats are continuing to vote to prolong the government shutdown, which blocks the funding for mothers and babies who rely on the WIC program. It added that the USDA will utilize tariff revenue to provide funding for the foreseeable future.
Bill To Fund WIC Program
Republican. Rep. Rob Bresnahan said they are grateful that the current administration advanced funds through the end of October for the WIC program. He noted that the objective is not to have innocent women, infants, and children suffer because of legislators not being able to pass a budget, the Western Slope Now reported.
The new bill, known as the Keep WIC Working Act, would fund the WIC program during the ongoing government shutdown. This will continue until President Donald Trump signs either a stopgap bill to fund the government or Congress appropriates funds to the USDA.
The legislation comes after the Trump administration transferred $300 million in tariff revenue to WIC in October to prevent a lapse for the program. However, the NWA issued a warning last week, saying that the money was "rapidly depleting, and numerous states are projected to exhaust their resources for WIC benefits as early as next month, as per The Hill.
