The Senate Appropriations Committee has released its Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which proposes full funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, also known as WIC.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the committee, said proposed cuts by House Republicans would force states to deny families WIC benefits.
“Full funding for WIC should never have been in question, but I’m glad that the millions of moms and babies who rely on this program won’t have to suffer the stress and harm of losing access to the lifesaving nutritional support and essential health care services WIC provides,” Murrsay said in a news release. “As we move forward, I hope my colleagues will realize that cutting WIC is not only deeply wrong but short-sighted—a dollar spent on WIC saves taxpayers more than a dollar in the future.”
Murray said when estimates released in September 2023 indicated additional funding needed for WIC, she said she led negotiations to ensure the full funding for WIC stayed intact under tough fiscal restraints of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The Senate Appropriations Committee said in a news release that the final Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture Appropriations Act fully funds WIC — which serves nearly 7 million women and kids nationwide and serves about half of all infants born in the U.S. — by providing $7.03 billion for the program, a $1.03 billion increase over fiscal year 2023 that meets the administration’s updated request. This increase would ensure that all eligible participants can continue to receive essential nutrition assistance and support provided by WIC, the release said.
The committee said USDA research from in 1988 found WIC participation improved the chance of women receiving prenatal care, and reduced premature births, low birth weights, infant mortality and even health care costs, according to the release. Additional research has shown benefits to child nutrition, immunization rates, cognitive development and more; recent studies have shown that $1 invested in WIC saves about $2.48 in medical, educational and productivity costs, according to the release.
National WIC Association’s reacts
Georgia Machell, interim president and CEO of the National WIC Association released a statement supporting the appropriations bill:
“This bill marks a seminal moment in the 50-year history of the WIC program,” she said. “If members of Congress approve this legislation — and we urge them in the strongest possible terms to do so — this historic funding increase will allow WIC to continue living up to the program’s promise: Any person eligible for WIC should have full access to it, and no one should be turned away. The bill also maintains the increased fruit and vegetable benefit which has been instrumental in helping families afford nutritious food in recent years. In a time when hunger, poverty and maternal mortality are all rising, providing WIC with the resources it needs has never been more critical. This bill does exactly that. Congress should move quickly to enact this major victory for families across the United States.”
