Dr. Jamila Taylor: “Congress should not tie its own hands and force a false choice between restricting WIC access, cutting benefits for children and new mothers or slashing support for rural America.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, the U.S. Senate advanced the bipartisan agreement to avert a first-ever default. The agreement will cap federal spending – keeping non-defense discretionary spending at relatively flat levels while limiting new investment to 1% growth in the fiscal year 2025. This decision has serious implications for federal programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The agreement also includes provisions that modify access to SNAP for older adults without dependents, homeless individuals, veterans and adults aging out of foster care.
Dr. Jamila Taylor, President & CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA), issued the following statement in response:
“Congress should not have treated so lightly the severe repercussions families would have faced if the United States had defaulted on its debt obligations. The last-minute deal, received just three days before the default deadline, falls short of what the American people deserve, with trade-offs that will leave some people hungrier and many programs without the resources needed to address the current challenges in the coming year. As Congress transitions from abstract and broad budget discussions to the more intricate aspects of appropriations, they must not rationalize spending cuts at the expense of children, new moms and pregnant women.
“As signaled in the President’s Budget, WIC participation has been trending upward, and in recent months, the rate of growth has also increased. More families served by WIC will require greater investment from Congress, and failure to provide adequate funding could result in new moms and children being sent to waiting lists for the first time in nearly three decades. Earlier proposals–working from a harsher topline than what was ultimately adopted in the debt limit deal–would have cut benefits for more than 5 million WIC participants with a 56% cut in fruit and vegetable benefits for kids and a 70% cut in fruit and vegetable benefits for women. We will never build a stronger America if we gut family’s grocery budgets and take healthy food off the kitchen table.
“Following the Senate's approval of the debt deal, Leaders Schumer and McConnell called for appropriators to set subcommittee allocations. WIC represents a significant portion of the Agriculture/FDA Subcommittee's allocation, and an insufficient allocation could have far-reaching consequences for other agriculture priorities – including conservation, rural development and food safety. Appropriators must prioritize the required funding increases needed to accommodate WIC's growing caseload. Congress should not tie its own hands and force a false choice between restricting WIC access, cutting benefits for children and new mothers or slashing support for rural America.”