Washington – On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) praised a proposal by the Trump Administration to provide critical funding to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) by redirecting funds raised by tariff revenue. Established as a permanent program in 1974, WIC helps to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk.
“The WIC program exists to help the most vulnerable — pregnant women, new moms, and young children,” said Senator Marshall. “I appreciate the Trump administration’s compassionate action to ensure these families don’t lose support. It’s shameful that Democrats are willing to jeopardize the health of mothers and children to score political points. The Schumer Shutdown must end now.”
If the shutdown continues, Kansas and many other states will exhaust their WIC funding by the end of the month. Counties, which employ local WIC staff, are at risk of running out of funding as soon as this weekend. That leaves local governments on the hook to continue offering WIC services.
· Senator Marshall has long supported the WIC program, hosting a roundtable discussion with the USDA WIC Administrator in Manhattan in August 2023.
· Senator Marshall has also introduced and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to improve, stabilize, or expand the WIC program, including:
A. The Access to Baby Formula Act, which addresses the nationwide baby formula shortage for families participating in the WIC program. It was signed into law by President Biden in May 2022.
B. The WIC Healthy Beginnings Act, which would have improved transparency and competition in the WIC program.
C. The More Options to Develop and Enhance Remote Nutrition in WIC Act (MODERN WIC), which would have made WIC benefits more accessible to low-income families by allowing them to certify and recertify for WIC services remotely.
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