John,

The House Appropriations Committee passed their agriculture bill this week which included an $800 million cut to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The cuts are steep: for 1-4 year olds, the monthly allotment for fruits and vegetables drops from $25 to $11; for breastfeeding participants, it drops from $49 to just $15. Overall, the $800 million cut slices off 19% of WIC food benefits.

But, cuts to WIC funding do not have to happen. Just this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to increase WIC funding by $615 million over FY2023, bringing it in line with President Biden’s budget. While this increase still might not be sufficient given the significant and welcome increase in WIC participation—January through March 2023 exceeded the level the USDA projected for all of FY2024—it demonstrates that a responsible budget must increase, not cut nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable.

The cuts passed by House Appropriations are so steep that experts expect that some children, and pregnant and postpartum parents needing WIC will have to be placed on waiting lists, even after imposing the harsh cuts in payments for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fight back against attacks on vulnerable families and children. Donate $5 to keep the pressure on the House to expand, not cut, WIC funding for low income families.

Babies and toddlers are at critical developmental stages—and cuts to age-appropriate foods including healthy fruits and vegetables endangers their growth. Similarly, pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding parents need proper nutrition in order to prevent negative birth outcomes and aid in their child’s development.

The only way to meet families' needs and prevent people from going on waiting lists is to increase, not cut, funding for WIC.

Donate $5 right now to fund the fight to protect WIC.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately:

Thank you for all you do to help vulnerable communities,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs