WEEKLY WIC POLICY UPDATE

August 29, 2017

What to Expect when Congress Returns Next Week
As members of Congress return to Washington DC next Tuesday, there are two upcoming budget deadlines that NWA will be monitoring.

• First, Congress must act to raise the federal debt ceiling to avoid defaulting on our obligations and being unable to pay the government’s bills.
• Second, Congress must pass a spending bill to fund the government for FY 2018. This will likely be in the form of a Continuing Resolution (CR) or a combination Continuing Resolution and Omnibus appropriations bill (CRomnibus), as Congress has not made significant progress towards passing individual appropriations bills (in a “normal” appropriations process there are twelve bills).

The deadline for both of these steps is September 29th. One possibility is that the debt ceiling and spending bills could be combined into a single legislative vehicle as a means of forging consensus. Some Congressional Republicans, specifically members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, have called for cuts in domestic discretionary funding as part of any spending bill, though leadership has indicated a focus on moving forward with a “clean” bill in a bipartisan way. These disagreements, along with President Trump’s statements that he may refuse to sign a bill that does not include funding for the border wall between the US and Mexico, may make it difficult to meet these two budget deadlines.

We are hopeful that the combination of a CR with a debt ceiling bill will increase the likelihood of passing both.

Raising Your WIC Voice during August Recess

As a reminder, members of Congress are in their home districts for one more week before returning to Washington, DC next Tuesday. You still have the opportunity to raise your voice for WIC with your Senators and Representatives while they are home! Here are some ways you can be a strong advocate for WIC while your legislators are home on recess:

• Set up a WIC clinic visit and invite local press.
  • Goal: Educate elected policy makers, their staff, and the media about the many ways WIC is making a difference in your community.
• Attend town hall meetings.
  • Goal: Let your legislators know how WIC is a priority in their district and why WIC should be their priority too.
• Reach out to legislators on social media.
  • Goal: Highlight how WIC positively impacts members of your community.

Providing legislators with an inside-look into what WIC does and who WIC serves helps to emphasize how important the program is and show policymakers that WIC is worth protecting. If you are meeting with your legislators over recess, we’d love to hear about it! Please share your stories with Elisabet Eppes at [email protected]. If you need guidance or resources before reaching out to you legislators, please see our Weekly WIC Policy Update from August 7. Thank you for raising your voice for WIC!