Press Release
☷Following Topline Budget Agreement Congress Must Act to Fully Fund WIC in 2024
U.S. Department of Agriculture ( By Press Release office)
Jan 13,2024
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Hey , so for the past 25 years , Congress has been all about supporting the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women , Infants , and Children ( WIC ) and making sure that everyone who qualifies gets the funding they need . But here ' s the deal - negotiations are still happening in Congress for the final budget , and the Biden - Harris Administration is pushing for full funding for WIC . Unfortunately , Congress hasn ' t committed to that yet . It ' s a big deal because if WIC doesn ' t get fully funded , it could mess with the nutrition and health support for about 6 . 7 million pregnant women , new moms , babies , and kids across the country . We ' re talking serious impact here . The current funding levels won ' t cover everyone who qualifies , and the longer Congress waits , the more risk there is for moms and kids who need this program . On top of that , the U . S . Department of Agriculture and states have been told to spend current funding faster to make it last until March 2024 , but there ' s no money to cover the program after that . So basically , if Congress doesn ' t step up and provide the needed funding , the cuts will hit hard in the last few months of the year . It ' s a billion - dollar shortfall , which is like 1 . 5 months of benefits for everyone in the program . And get this - that billion dollars could cover six months of benefits for all pregnant women and infants in WIC . If that funding falls short , states will have to make some tough choices , like implementing waiting lists and prioritizing who gets assistance . So yeah , it ' s a big decision and it ' s all about the values we hold as a country . WIC is proven to improve health outcomes for moms and kids , so let ' s make sure it gets the funding it needs . But considering how much money is lacking , it ' s likely that waiting lists would be needed for everyone in the program , including new applicants and mothers , babies , and young children who are already enrolled and need to renew their benefits . To give you an idea of how many people could be affected if states used waiting lists , even for a short time , the USDA estimates that 810 , 000 eligible people apply for WIC services across the country each month . Many states would probably have to use waiting lists for a long time to address the funding gap if Congress only funds WIC at the Continuing Resolution level for the rest of the year . It ' s even possible that waitlisting applicants and taking other cost - cutting measures , like reducing clinic hours , wouldn ' t be enough to solve the problem . In that case , some states might have to stop or pause benefits for current participants , as a last resort according to the program rules . This would have serious and negative consequences for pregnant women , new mothers , and infants and children . Numerous studies show how important WIC is for supporting maternal health and child development . Participating in WIC during pregnancy is linked to a lower risk of preterm birth , low birthweight , and infant mortality . Children on WIC are also more likely to have a healthier diet , and this benefit increases the longer they stay on the program . Almost 40 percent of infants in America are part of WIC , which is only available to pregnant women , new mothers , infants , and children who meet income requirements and are deemed to be at nutritional risk by a healthcare professional . Families with young children , especially infants , often struggle financially . The Biden - Harris Administration understands this and is committed to giving America ' s children the best possible start in life . Restricting access to nutrition programs like WIC goes against this effort and instead harms parents and children . The longer Congress delays fully funding WIC , the greater the risk for mothers , babies , and children who rely on the program for nutrition and healthcare support . Here are the participation numbers for the WIC program in September 2023 . These numbers include pregnant women , breastfeeding women , postpartum women , infants , and children . Keep in mind that these numbers are specific to each state and territory . The total number of participants across all states and territories is 6 , 656 , 061 . Just a reminder , the USDA is an equal opportunity provider , employer , and lender .
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