Unless Congress approves legislation to reopen the government, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children may run out of funding in a matter of days. WIC, as the program is known, is a lifeline for nearly seven million low-income mothers and their children, providing them with access to free food to satisfy their nutritional needs. It also helps new mothers purchase baby formula and provides lactation counseling. Roughly 41 percent of all infants in the United States are supported by WIC.
Budget proposals from the White House and House GOP lawmakers earlier this year included cuts to WIC, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from emphasizing the potential lapse in WIC funding as a reason for Democrats to come to the negotiating table. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told ABC News that Democrats were “turning their back on WIC recipients.” House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed last week that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was holding WIC “hostage” by refusing to agree to a Republican proposal to keep the government open.
Unlike the last shutdown, which spanned 35 days from the end of 2018 through the beginning of 2019, the current lapse in government funding is occurring at the very beginning of the fiscal year. In 2019, states had already received some WIC funding from the federal government, meaning that it was easier to maintain the program. “States manage how they get their funding from the feds, and then manage how they spend it. So each state could have been different in 2018 as to where they were with their funding, but it wasn’t this dire of a situation,” said Kate Scully, the deputy director for WIC at the Food Research and Action Center.
WIC has historically been one of the few programs aimed at low-income Americans that enjoys consistent bipartisan support. This trend seemed to be disrupted earlier this year, as the Trump administration’s proposed budget released this spring included cuts to WIC’s cash-value vouchers, which allow participants to buy fruits and vegetables. House Republicans also included cuts to that program in their funding bill for the USDA. However, the Senate agriculture appropriations bill provided sufficient funding to fully support WIC for the next fiscal year, according to advocates. Moreover, in September, the White House did ask Congress to fully fund WIC in a continuing resolution, or C.R., to keep the government open temporarily. Both parties introduced C.R.s that would have included spending flexibilities for WIC had they passed.
Being tied to the dysfunctional appropriations process makes WIC vulnerable, despite its popularity. Since the mid-1970s, Congress has passed its annual spending bills by the October 1 deadline only five times—the last time being in 1996. In recent years, Congress has primarily kept the government open through a mixture of C.R.s keeping funding at existing levels and massive “omnibus” legislation, which rolls separate appropriations bills into one package. Delays in approving appropriations measures thus put WIC at risk.
Then there are the potential long-term consequences of the continued threat to WIC. Menefee-Libey said that staff at WIC clinics worry about how “disruptions like this risk undermining trust in the program.” Mothers may lose faith WIC will be there for them when they need it the most—meaning that they may opt against participating in a program that would otherwise provide necessary assistance.
“Folks need to know that WIC will be there to support them regardless of what’s happening in the broader world,” said Menefee-Libey. “If we turn families away during that really vulnerable time, we risk not getting them back, and losing the opportunity to help a kiddo have the healthiest possible start to life and to help connect families to the benefits and resources that they need to thrive during that period.”
Hence then, the article about poor moms and children are caught in the crossfire of the shutdown was published today ( ) and is available on The New Republic ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Poor Moms and Children Are Caught in the Crossfire of the Shutdown )
Also on site :