WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Appropriations Committee released its Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill, which will be considered by the Agriculture Subcommittee tomorrow. The bill would cut funding for WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
The National WIC Association (NWA) is deeply concerned that the House proposal fails to meet the needs of young families who rely on WIC for healthy food and critical nutrition support. The proposal would cut overall WIC funding by $100 million and reduce WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit for young children and breastfeeding mothers.
The following is a statement from Georgia Machell, NWA president and CEO, on the FY House Appropriations Committee proposal:
“While the proposed cuts are less severe than those put forward in the President’s Budget Request, any cuts to WIC benefits break a 30-plus-year bipartisan promise to fully fund WIC. Not sufficiently funding WIC jeopardizes the program’s ability to certify every eligible family who seeks WIC services, putting the program in danger of reverting to waiting lists for the first time in decades. This undermines WIC participation and health outcomes for infants, young children, and mothers.
“WIC’s Cash Value Benefit (CVB) is a cornerstone of WIC services. With the CVB, families can purchase fruits and vegetables, giving families access to the critical nutrients they need for healthy pregnancies, growing kids, and breastfeeding parents. Since the CVB increase in 2021, young children on WIC are now eating an additional ¼ cup of fruits and vegetables per day! Parents and caregivers said they can afford a healthier diet, increase their variety of fruits and vegetables, and serve their families more fruits and vegetables, all thanks to the CVB.
“Fully funding WIC and protecting the fruit and vegetable benefit is the bare minimum needed to support families and secure a healthier future for the next generation. We call on Congress to maintain full funding for WIC and preserve the CVB at its science-backed level.”
Click here to take action on general WIC funding. Click here to take action on CVB.
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