WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously advanced an agriculture funding bill which includes $7.697 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and keeps the updates to the WIC food package intact. This move aligns closely with the White House budget request to Congress, which includes $7.7 billion for WIC in FY2025. In June, the House Appropriations Committee proposed legislation for $7.235 billion in funding and included provisions that would hinder implementation of the final rule updating the WIC food package released in April by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The following is a statement from Georgia Machell, Interim President & CEO of the National WIC Association:
“Millions of women and children depend on WIC for their health and nutrition needs, which is why Congress must protect and strengthen the program in the years ahead.
We applaud Senate appropriators for advancing legislation that would provide $7.697 billion in funding for WIC, meeting the amount requested in the President’s Budget to serve a projected 7 million participants in FY25. The bill also safeguards the integrity of WIC’s evidence-based food package. They recognize what millions of program participants know to be true: WIC needs more investment and protection, not less.
We are grateful for the continued leadership of Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray and Vice Chair Susan Collins, as well as Agriculture Subcommittee Chair Martin Heinrich and Ranking Member John Hoeven, in providing full funding for WIC in FY25. The final appropriations bill that ultimately clears the Senate and the House must include sufficient funding for WIC to meet its projected caseload for the upcoming fiscal year. We strongly encourage members of Congress to continue to work closely with USDA to ensure that no family who needs WIC gets left behind.
With August recess approaching, we also encourage members of Congress to visit a local WIC clinic when back home in their states and districts. By listening to constituents who rely on this vital program and hearing from agency staff who run it, we are confident that Congress will ultimately do what it has for decades: come through with full funding to ensure that WIC remains available for any family that needs it.”
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