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John,
Families with low incomes need to provide for the health and nutrition of their infants and young children.
This is why we have WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children): it’s a short term program designed to decrease the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and to improve children’s health during the critical birth-to-five period of growth and development.
WIC provides nutrition and breastfeeding education, health service referrals, and nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, iron-fortified cereals, milk, and peanut butter. It’s available to families with incomes at or less than 185% of the federal poverty level.
Now, with food prices up, the need for WIC’s services is increasing. In the first three months of 2023, more families qualified for WIC than were projected for all of 2024.
So what is the response to this crisis by the Republican House? Would you believe, the Appropriations Committee has approved an $800 million cut in funding!
In a word, this is unacceptable. Send a direct message to Congress now to demand they protect and expand WIC funding for families with low incomes.
The House plan will literally take healthy food away from needy infants and young children. To give an idea of how these cuts will affect eligible families, children from 1 to 4 years old will see their monthly allowance of fruits and vegetables cut more than 50%, from $25 to just $11. For breastfeeding babies, the cut is even steeper, from $49 to $15.
Overall, the $800 million cut will mean a 19% reduction of WIC food benefits. What’s worse, the funding is expected to be so low, some families who need assistance would have to be put on waiting lists. Given that the program is designed to provide short-term assistance, and most families participate for only about two years, children’s growth and development can’t wait for their turn to come up.
Fortunately, the Democratic majority on the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed an alternative bill, which would increase WIC funding by $615 million. In contrast to the House bill, this will help ease the crisis, though it may still not be enough to avoid waiting lists for healthy foods.
Don’t let Congress take away healthy foods from infants and young children! Sign and send your direct message to demand your representative fund the Senate plan and reject the miserly House bill now.
Thank you for helping to protect and expand WIC funding for families with low incomes.
- Amanda
Amanda Ford, Director
Democracy for America
Advocacy Fund
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