WASHINGTON, DC—Late Friday afternoon, the White House released President Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026. This budget proposal outlines the programs Trump wants Congress to slash—or eliminate entirely—when they vote on government funding. The proposal includes severe reductions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), threatening the health and nutrition of millions of low-income families.
The National WIC Association strongly opposes this cut. Georgia Machell, NWA’s President & CEO, released this statement about the proposed benefit reduction:
“We are deeply disappointed by the president’s proposed budget cuts to WIC’s nutrition assistance. This budget request falls short of the Trump Administration’s commitment to 'Make America Healthy Again,' particularly in its failure to support maternal and child health through vital nutrition programs. By cutting WIC’s Cash Value Benefits (CVB) for fruits and vegetables by two-thirds and reducing overall program funding, the proposal directly removes healthy food from the hands of low-income moms and young children who face nutritional risk. This budget doesn't just break promises; it takes healthy food off of children's plates.” Read NWA’s full statement here.
Many food and nutrition organizations agree that these cuts would harm families. Read their statements:
“At a time when the Administration has expressed a desire to improve child nutrition, cutting the Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables in WIC is both short-sighted and harmful. These benefits are proven to support better health outcomes and should be strengthened—not reduced. The Alliance to End Hunger urges Congress and the Administration to keep CVB levels at adequate science-based amounts to safeguard the health of our youngest and most vulnerable.” Eric Mitchell, President, the Alliance to End Hunger
“Pediatricians know that access to healthy foods – especially fruits and vegetables – in early childhood means children are healthier and less likely to develop chronic diseases, such as obesity, later in life. The WIC fruit and vegetable benefit allows lower income families to provide nutritious foods to their children, and protecting the benefit is key to supporting child health in the short- and long-term. We call on Congress to reject the benefit cut in the president’s budget request and take steps to support child nutrition by maintaining this vital benefit at its current level. If we are to make our country healthier, we must ensure every child has access to healthy, affordable foods.” American Academy of Pediatrics President Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP
"WIC's is critical to ensuring the health and well-being of participating families. The fruit and vegetable benefits help to ensure young children receive the critical nutrition boost they need to develop. Bread for the World urges Congress to continue to fully fund WIC at the level needed to ensure all eligible mothers, babies, and young children can participate and to keep the fruit and vegetable benefits intact." Bob Powers, Director, Government Relations, Bread for the World
“The President’s budget proposal to cut WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits is another example of this Administration failing the very people they promised to help—this time by depriving our youngest children of essential nutrients while increasing grocery costs for new parents who need help affording the basics. This proposal directly undermines the Administration’s articulated goal of improving children’s health by improving their diets as part of a strategy of reducing chronic disease. Policymakers should reject this proposal and instead uphold the longstanding bipartisan commitment to provide enough WIC funding for all eligible families that seek assistance to receive full food benefits through this essential program.” Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
"The WIC fruit and vegetable benefit plays a critical role in supporting the health and development of babies and young children, and their mothers. If we want to see healthier pregnancies and birth outcomes and more children having a healthy start in life, this benefit must be protected from any cuts. Families and our nation cannot afford the alternative. Without this WIC benefit, we will see more families struggling to get the nutrition they need, greater risk of negative health outcomes such as child obesity, and higher health care and education costs. We urge Congress to put our nation's children first and oppose any cuts to the WIC fruit and vegetables benefit." Crystal FitzSimons, President, Food Research & Action Center
"WIC is one of the most effective federal nutrition programs we have, with decades of research demonstrating its positive impact on maternal and child health. Cuts to WIC would have serious implications for connecting farm fresh produce to low-income women and children — populations already at heightened risk for diet-related health disparities. At a time when nearly half of U.S. children fail to consume a daily vegetable, reducing WIC benefits would undermine national nutrition efforts and run counter to the goals of the president’s own Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, which recently highlighted WIC’s role in increasing fruit and vegetable intake, improving dietary quality during the critical early years of life, and cited it as a government program focused exclusively on the nutritional health of its participants.” Cathy Burns, CEO, International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
“WIC ensures infants, toddlers, and pregnant parents can access the nutritious foods needed to support healthy development and well-being. WIC's science-based food package and Cash Value Benefit (CVB)—which provides extra resources for vegetables and fruits—are critical investments in babies, children, and parents. Cutting these programs puts children at greater risk for developmental delays and chronic disease. Given that infants and toddlers develop taste preferences early in life, the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers urges Congress to fully fund WIC and maintain the CVB to set children on a path toward lifelong healthy eating.” Lisa Matter, Steering Committee Co-Chair, National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers
"Families across rural America depend on the WIC Cash Value Benefit (CVB) to afford fresh fruits and vegetables for their infants and toddlers. Save the Children strongly supports preserving this critical component of WIC, which helps improve child and maternal health outcomes. We also see an opportunity for Congress to permanently authorize flexible service delivery options, including telephonic and virtual access, which are especially important for families in rural and remote communities. WIC funding should be protected and prioritized in any budget Congress advances to support the health and well-being of families nationwide." Allison Dembeck, Head of Policy, Save the Children
“WIC remains an essential lifeline for kids and their families. The fruits and vegetables that pregnant women, new moms, and their young kids receive through WIC are a key source of nutrition during a critical stage of life. With rising food prices and cuts to SNAP making it harder for people to access nutrition assistance, it is all the more important for families to have additional, science-backed resources for nutritious fruits and vegetables through WIC. It's crucial that Congress continues to honor its longtime bipartisan commitment to families by including the full cash value benefit (CVB).” Claire Borzner, Director of Federal Government Relations, Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry Campaign
“All families should be able to buy healthy food for their children during the most critical years of their lives. With grocery prices rising and families already struggling to make ends meet, Latinos are demanding policymakers address the rising cost of living. This is the exact wrong time to cut the benefit that helps mothers and young children afford fruits and vegetables. The proposed cuts to WIC's cash-value benefit would force more than 2 million hardworking Latino families – two out of every five WIC participants – to spend even more out of pocket for healthy food they cannot afford to go without.” Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy
Continue to take action against these proposed cuts. Tell Congress to reject Trump’s proposed budget cuts to WIC.