WASHINGTON DC– On April 3rd, the White House released President Trump’s FY27 budget proposal, which includes significant reductions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), threatening the health and food security of millions of low-income families.
The National WIC Association strongly opposes this cut. In response, Georgia Machell, NWA’s President & CEO, released this statement about the proposal:
“These cuts break with the Trump Administration’s support for WIC during the 2025 government shutdown and directly contradict the administration’s stated goal to ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ WIC is a proven public health investment during the most critical developmental stages: pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. By slashing the fruit and vegetable benefits and not ensuring sufficient program funding, this administration is taking healthy foods away from children and mothers most at risk for nutritional deficiencies. The proposed reductions would roll back WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits to levels not seen since before the previous science-based increase in 2021, undermining a proven investment in child and maternal health.” Read NWA’s full statement here.
Many national organizations share concerns that these proposed cuts would harm families. Read their statements:
“Access to nutritious food is essential to public health. Programs like WIC are backed by strong evidence demonstrating improved health outcomes and lower health care costs. A funding reduction to WIC would be detrimental to millions of American families by limiting healthy food options and increasing the risk of nutritional deficiencies.” Deanne Brandstetter, President, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
“Access to healthy, nutritious food should be a cornerstone of our nation’s health policy. But for too many Americans, rising food costs are making that basic necessity increasingly difficult to afford. Cutting the Cash Value Benefit (CVB) for fruits and vegetables in WIC will hurt millions of families. We need to make sure that there are adequate benefits for highly nutritious foods to give children the best start in life and provide eligible families with support that helps them thrive.” Eric Mitchell, President, the Alliance to End Hunger
“Strong nutrition early in life sets children up to thrive. If we are to support child health in the short- and long-term and prevent chronic disease, we must ensure all children can access nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit helps make it possible for lower-income families to feed their children nutritious foods—and it must be protected. Pediatricians urge lawmakers to reject the proposed cut in the president’s budget request and to maintain this vital benefit that children and families rely on.” Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
“WIC is one of the most powerful federal programs supporting the health and nutrition of mothers, infants, and children in the U.S. It helps them to achieve a strong and healthy start in life, and Bread for the World wholeheartedly advocates for this program. WIC helps to foster healthy eating habits, wellness for families, and helps communities to thrive while playing a crucial role in combating hunger across the country. The funding dedicated to fruits and vegetables within WIC is vital to its success. We strongly urge Congress and President Trump to ensure it is fully funded in the 2027 appropriations process.” Bob Powers, Director of Government Relations, Bread for the World
“Reducing the amount of fruits and vegetables that low-income moms and children receive from WIC is yet another example of how hollow this Administration’s promise to Make America Healthy Again is. The Center for Science in the Public Interest urges Congress and the Administration to maintain, not reduce, the Cash Value Benefit and fully fund WIC so that all eligible moms, babies, and children can benefit from this evidence-based and cost-effective program.” Anupama Joshi, Vice President of Programs, Center for Science in the Public Interest
"The President’s budget is one more example of how the Trump Administration has turned its back on the millions of families struggling to afford the basics. Along with cuts in a range of areas that matter to families – including education, food assistance for low-income seniors, utility assistance, and rental assistance – the proposal to cut WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits is short-sighted. It would take away essential nutrients for young children and directly undermine the Administration’s stated goal of improving children’s health and reducing childhood chronic disease. Furthermore, the proposal would risk negative long-term health consequences for children and increase grocery costs for new parents who are already struggling to provide nutritious food for their families. Policymakers should again 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. In addition, members of Congress should seize the opportunity to modernize WIC by making telephone and video certification appointments available permanently.” Sharon Parrott, President, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
“At a time when families with young children are already struggling to afford healthy food, cuts to WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits are untenable. Children’s HealthWatch research shows that WIC is one of the most effective tools to support young children’s health and development by improving birth outcomes, strengthening food security, reducing risk of developmental delay, and setting young children on a stronger path for learning and lifelong well-being. If our government wants to meet its stated goal of improving the health of people in the U.S., now is the time to offer more support, not less.” Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Executive Director, Children’s HealthWatch
"The President's Budget yet again proposes a cut to the WIC fruit and vegetable benefit, a benefit that plays a critical role in supporting the health and development of babies, young children, and their mothers. Proven to lead to increased purchases in fruits and vegetables, this benefit is an investment in healthier pregnancies, leading to better birth outcomes and more children having a healthy start in life and must be protected from any cuts. Without this WIC benefit, we will see more families struggling to afford the nutritious food they need, causing a 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 fully fund WIC without any cuts to the fruit and vegetable benefit." Crystal FitzSimons, President, Food Research & Action Center
“WIC is a win for everyone—it helps women, infants, and children build healthier lives through better nutrition, and it strengthens our economy by driving demand for U.S.-grown fruits and vegetables—an estimated $75.1 million in additional fruit and vegetable sales each month nationwide. When families can count on a fully-funded, stable fruit and vegetable benefit—including the option to shop online—it supports healthier pregnancies and childhood development while creating more consistent opportunity for growers, retailers, and communities nationwide. Congress must protect and fully fund WIC’s monthly fruit and vegetable benefit. Our children deserve no less.” —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.