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John,
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Agriculture Appropriations bill this week—the bill that includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Currently, the appropriations bill includes $6.3 billion for WIC—which is the amount President Biden requested in his FY2024 budget proposal. However, due to increased participation and rising food costs, this amount is no longer sufficient and will result in 600,000 people losing WIC.
That’s why, today, we’re joining our coalition partners for a WIC Call-in Day to urge senators to fully fund this critical lifeline to pregnant women and families with young children.
Call your Senators today at 202-224-3121 and tell them to protect pregnant women and babies by fully funding WIC!
Calling is easy -- and it’s very important.
We’ve provided a suggested call script below to help with your call.
Suggested call script:
“Hello, my name is _______ and I live in ___________. I urge the Senator to support increased funding for WIC to avert waiting lists for families with young children. This is an essential program that has shown to increase infant health and lead to higher academic achievement for low-income students. If Congress does not act, 600,000 parents and young children could be turned away and put on waiting lists.
Please share my thoughts with the Senator and urge them to fully fund WIC for children and their families this year. Thank you.”
Once you’ve called one of your senators, then call the other—they need to hear loud and clear from you! And if your family participated in WIC or does now, share your story for an even bigger impact.
For the past 25 years, there has been a bipartisan effort to ensure there was enough WIC funding to provide for every eligible family who applied or renewed their benefits. If funding stays at the Senate bill level, 600,000 eligible mothers and young children would be placed on waiting lists.1
Additional information:
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Over three dozen studies published between 1979 and 2004 concluded that WIC increased average birth weight for infants
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WIC improves access to health care, including childhood immunizations
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WIC supports healthy nutrition during critical early stages of cognitive development and children who participate in WIC are likely to do better in school
Poverty is a policy decision, not an inevitability. This investment in our nations’ pregnant and postpartum moms and their young children will have positive effects for generations to come. Now let’s get it done!
Thank you,
Meredith Dodson
Senior Director of Public Policy, Coalition on Human Needs
1 600,000 Young Children and New Parents Could Be Turned Away Unless Congress Adheres to a 25-Year Bipartisan Commitment to Fully Fund WIC
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