The current impasse in Congress regarding the continuation of the federal budget has put the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — WIC — at risk, which means that hundreds of thousands of families, especially single-parent families and families of color, might go hungry in coming weeks.
With the government shutdown, WIC may run out of money within a couple of weeks, and already cash-strapped states are not able to sustain the programs indefinitely, if at all.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program — SNAP — and the cancellation of aid to food banks earlier this year increases the urgency of the problem.
Women and children, including newborns, should not bear the burdens of the budget impasse, and I urge Congress to fully fund WIC and stop the erosion of nutrition assistance immediately.
Poverty is not a crime nor a punishment, and all Americans should work together to ensure that every family has access to adequate amounts of nourishing food, even during a time when Congress is divided.
Hunger is not a partisan issue.
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