White House: Congress risks shorting WIC benefits for parents and children

Congress must act soon to increase funding for the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children, or risk that the program will have to turn away assistance to participants before the end of next year.

The White House hosted a press call to talk about the looming WIC funding gap on Dec. 13, with the current stopgap funding bill set to expire Jan. 18. WIC provides nutrition assistance for nearly 6.7 million pregnant women, new mothers, babies and young children across the country this month, according to the briefing.

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities published a report Dec. 12 stating that about 2 million parents and young children could be turned away From WIC by September next year without full funding of the program.

“As lawmakers work to finalize full-year funding bills, it is critical that they honor that long-standing commitment and give WIC the funding it needs to serve every low-income family who seeks assistance and to provide participants with the full science-based benefit,” the report said.

“If Congress fails to do so and continues WIC’s current funding level for the rest of the fiscal year, WIC would face a roughly $1 billion shortfall in 2024," the report said. "We estimate that as a result, states would need to reduce WIC participation by about 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults nationwide by September, compared to anticipated participation if full funding were provided, with harm falling disproportionately on Black and Hispanic families.”

The White House also issued a statement calling on Congress to act as it previously has for the WIC program.

“For the past 25 years, Congress, on a bipartisan basis, has committed to fully funding WIC to serve every eligible pregnant woman, infant, mother, and child who applies,” the statement said. “But this year, despite repeated Administration requests, Congress has yet to fully fund this vital program. Without the necessary additional funding, millions of eligible pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children are at risk of missing out on WIC’s critical nutrition assistance at some point next year. WIC costs are higher this year than last year, in part because more eligible people are signing up for the program — meaning more pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children are getting access to nutritious food and important health resources they need to thrive.”

In the two continuing resolutions enacted so far this year, the White House said Congress did not provide the additional $1 billion in estimated funding needed to ensure WIC can serve all those who seek its services in fiscal year 2024.

“It is critical that Congress provide additional funding for WIC in the January appropriation,” a White House statement said. “The longer Congress puts off fully funding WIC, the greater the risk to mothers, babies, and children seeking nutrition and health support from the program.”

The White House said that if Congress were to fund the program at the current, lower continuing resolution level for the remaining months of the fiscal year, the $1 billion shortfall that would occur is equivalent to 1.5 months of benefits for all program beneficiaries. The $1 billion shortfall also equals the estimated cost of providing six months of benefits to all pregnant women and infants participating in WIC.

“There is no reason states should be forced to implement waiting lists, or take other devastating measures, and really not cover the people who need it,” Neera Tanden, director of the Domestic Policy Council, said in the press call.

Congress must act in January to restore full funding, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said in the press call.

“The challenge that we're facing now is that with every continuing resolution, moms have less certainty about whether Congress is going to fully cover WIC for themselves and their babies this year,” Torres Small said. "That's why it's crucial that Congress provide additional funding for WIC in January. The longer Congress puts off this funding greater there's a greater risk to mothers to babies and children who just want the healthy food they need to succeed.”

WIC allows families to have more food choices and access to nutritious food, Grace Hou, Illinois deputy governor for health and human services, said on the call.

“Illinois WIC participants have credited our expansion of fruits and vegetable benefits as an important reason for staying on the program,” Hou said.

National WIC Association interim President and CEO Georgia Mitchell said the message to Congress is simple: fully fund WIC.

“Millions of women, children and babies are counting on you,” she said.

During the call a reporter noted that some in Congress want to decrease the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit, asking officials if that approach would be one way to reduce the expected shortfall in WIC funding in the months ahead.

The current fiscal year 2023 WIC fruit and vegetable benefit is $44 per month for women and $25 for children, compared with pre-pandemic levels of $11 per month for women and $9 per month for children.

A senior administration official (no direct attribution was allowed during the Q&A part of the call) responding to the reporter's question said that WIC participants say the fruit and vegetable benefit is one the most important parts of the WIC food package. To cut that benefit, Congress would have to make the change, the official said.