For immediate release
National WIC Association Thanks Legislators for Bipartisan Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Moments ago, the Senate passed, 87-13, H.R. 2, the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which is expected to pass the House later this week.
Rev. Douglas Greenaway, President and CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA), issued this statement:
“The National WIC Association applauds the committee for its diligent work to produce a bipartisan farm bill that protects access to the SNAP program for the millions of Americans who rely on it to keep food on their tables. SNAP is a critical complement to the WIC program, which is designed to supplement the nutritional needs of mothers and young children in a family. The bill also takes key steps in helping families make healthy purchases with their SNAP dollars.
“NWA lauds the committee for maintaining two key nutrition-education programs that reinforce the messages families receive in WIC. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provide high-quality nutrition education to support families in making nutritious food purchases and preparing healthy meals. NWA is also pleased to see the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) program well-funded and made permanent. FINI is a grant program that funds fruit and vegetable incentives for SNAP participants.
“NWA also recognizes key provisions in the bill that support health equity. The legislation will remove some of the administrative cost burden on Indian Reservations implementing the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). It will also extend the certification period for seniors enrolling in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).
“NWA also appreciates the legislators’ work to uphold SNAP as a food program. By revoking a harmful effort to include multivitamin and mineral supplements in the program, legislators demonstrated the importance of meeting nutritional requirements by making the best food choices before turning to dietary supplements.
“We greatly appreciate the bipartisan leadership of Senate Agriculture Chairman Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Stabenow (D-MI) throughout the farm bill process. NWA looks forward to seeing the measure passed in the House and signed into law.”
# # #
For interviews, contact:
Stephen Padre, Media Manager, at spadre@nwica.org