A WIC child participant takes a WIC-approved product off the shelf at a Seattle grocery store in September 2024. (Photo from US Department of Agriculture)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $300 million in a crucial federal nutrition program to keep it running through October as the government shutdown continues with no apparent end point.
The USDA’s special nutritional supplement program for women, infants and children – known as WIC – relied on short-term funding during the shutdown. That has worried advocates because it leaves states to fill the gaps when the money runs out.
The USDA is transferring $300 million from its child nutrition program account to WIC, which has long been funded in part by tariff revenue from previous years, according to a congressman familiar with the plan.
The transfer does not require congressional approval and is expected to keep the program running through the end of this month.
A USDA spokesperson said in a statement to States Newsroom that the agency “will use tariff revenues to fund WIC for the foreseeable future,” although the spokesperson did not provide details. President Donald Trump’s administration announced the transfer last week but also gave no further details.
“We’re hopeful that this money can be released really quickly and funds can be made available to states by next week to prevent further disruptions to WIC,” Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, told States Newsroom.
“Fully funding the program is still a priority here, and it’s great to have short-term solutions, but we need a long-term commitment from Congress to continue to fund WIC on a bipartisan basis, which has been the case for decades,” added Machell, whose organization serves as the nonprofit advocacy and education arm of WIC.
Subject to congressional approval
The program almost serves 7 million people and provides “free healthy food, breastfeeding support, nutrition education and referrals to other services,” per USDA.
But as a discretionary program, WIC is subject to congressional approval each year — making it particularly vulnerable ongoing funding gap.
Because Congress has not yet appropriated funding for the program in fiscal year 2026, which began Oct. 1, WIC has relied in recent days on several compact pots of money to keep it running, including the USDA’s $150 million emergency fund. States received grants from this fund.
Leftover money for the program from the previous fiscal year was also allocated to states last week and was expected to keep WIC operating for several more days.
Members of the U.S. Senate were scheduled to vote Tuesday on an emergency budget bill passed by the House of Representatives that would reopen the government. But with no agreement reached, it was expected that the bill would once again fail to win the support of the 60 senators it needed.
Senate rejects Trump’s WIC budget cut
The USDA’s decision to utilize the tariff revenue came as Trump sought to cut some WIC funding in his fiscal 2026 budget request, including withdrawing “more than $1.3 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.2 million participants,” according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
The full Senate passed its bipartisan bill Funding from the Ministry of Agricultureincluding WIC, as early as August. The measure fully funds the program at $8.2 billion for fiscal year 2026 and “continues to fully fund additional fruit and vegetable benefits,” according to Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Meanwhile, the House Budget Committee’s version of the bill, passed by the Republican-controlled panel in June, includes $7.5 billion for WIC and calls for a “10 percent cut in cash value vouchers for fruits and vegetables for women and children.” after to the panel’s Democrats.
Kate Scully, WIC deputy director at the Food Research & Action Center, said, “We are still calling on Congress to pass a full-year budget that provides WIC with the resources it needs to serve everyone who is eligible and applies for the program, including keeping benefit levels current.”
Scully, whose national nonprofit works to reduce poverty-related hunger through research, advocacy and policy solutions, said, “Families should continue to use their benefits, go to scheduled appointments, but check with their state agency to see if there are any changes.”
Scully said her organization is “hearing reports of some places closing,” but that could change with the $300 million in funding. “So definitely check with your state, but don’t use your benefits or go to your appointments because WIC should still be operational.”
