“WIC is an investment in our future, supporting postpartum and breastfeeding women and young kids at a critical time of development,” said Gromley.
Contact: Ryan Flaherty, rflaherty@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Late last week, Congress passed a spending bill that provides WIC with adequate funding of just over $7 billion, ensuring that no eligible families are turned away due to a funding shortfall. It was signed by the President on Saturday, averting a partial government shutdown that would have taken effect over the weekend. The following is a statement from Jason Gromley, Senior Director of Government Relations and Advocacy for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“We are relieved to see Congress reaffirm its longstanding bipartisan support for WIC by providing the funding necessary to meet the program’s needs. With passage of this bill, nearly 7 million eligible pregnant women, new moms, infants and young children will continue to have access to the formula, fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods this program provides.
“While continuing existing funding levels would have left states struggling to meet the existing caseload, we are grateful that negotiators recognized the difficult choices families would have to make if they were turned away from WIC and its crucial nutrition benefits and services.
“WIC is an investment in our future, supporting postpartum and breastfeeding women and young kids at a critical time of development. As lawmakers turn to other legislative efforts this year, we urge Congress to continue prioritizing families by finding bipartisan solutions that protect and strengthen SNAP and expand the Child Tax Credit which will help all families receive the resources they need to thrive.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.