Dozens of Washington organizations are pushing Congress to amply fund a key federal nutrition program, warning that a lack of adequate dollars would harm the health and well-being of vulnerable mothers and young children.
Some 60 Washington groups lent their names to a letter addressed to leading U.S. lawmakers earlier this month; it was signed by nearly 390 national, state and local organizations in all.
They support a Senate appropriations bill that would fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as (WIC). The House version, however, would not.
The lower chamber-passed bill would also slash WIC’s vegetable and fruit benefits.
Historically, WIC has been a nonpartisan program and issue, said Claire Lane with the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition, citing Congress’ 30-year bipartisan commitment to safeguard WIC.
“There’s nothing more important than feeding pregnant women, and new moms and babies and little kids,” Lane said. “So this really is an anomaly.”
The letter comes as Congress and the Trump administration have pursued other significant cuts to the social safety net. Anti-hunger advocates warn that if WIC doesn’t receive proper funding, the health of many moms and young kids will suffer.
WIC helps pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women — as well as their children up to age 5 — in low-income households, offering breastfeeding support, nutrition education, health-care referrals and access to nutritious food, the Sept. 10 letter notes.
Nearly half of all Washington babies are on WIC, and close to 207,000 residents participated during federal fiscal year 2024, according to the state Department of Health.
Under the Senate’s fiscal year 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill, WIC would receive $8.2 billion, up from the $7.6 billion appropriated for 2025, according to y6777777777777777777the Food Research & Action Center. It would also protect WIC’s cash value benefit (CVB), which helps people buy produce.
Supporters of the program argue that anything less than full funding would hurt the 6.8 million children and women whom WIC serves.
Signatories also want Congress, in any short- or long-term spending bill, to feature “enforceable legislative language” to make sure that agreed-upon funding will be distributed and reach those in need. Without that language, WIC dollars could potentially be clawed back, the letter reads — despite congressional approval and appropriation.
“Young families struggle most in our state; you know, childcare is some of the most expensive in the country, and our food prices are some of the most expensive,” Lane said. “So WIC really makes a difference for those young families starting out.”
The letter was signed by organizations including Olympia Indivisible, the Tri-Cities Food Bank, Bellingham Farmers Market Association and more. ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ cuts to SNAP, Medicaid
Alarm bells have also been ringing about recent federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
In addition to SNAP reductions, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 slashes federal spending on Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low-income people.
Roughly 8 in 10 WIC participants in 2022 reported relying on Medicaid, SNAP and/or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
“Together, these programs can provide stability, or at least a foundation, for households to grow and thrive,” Kate Scully, deputy director of WIC for the Food Research & Action Center, wrote in a recent post on FRAC’s website.
“Take away one of these programs and parents will have more impossible choices to make — between paying for food and rent, food and health care, and/or food and other basic needs.” How much can WIC participants get in CVB?
When it comes to cash value benefits, households can currently receive $26 for kids and $47 to $52 for adults per month, Scully told McClatchy.
The White House has released a proposal to roll CVB back to $10 for children and $13 for adults. The House, meanwhile, would cut both by 10%, but Scully said there’s some appetite to ultimately match the White House’s numbers.
“I don’t know what fruit and vegetables you can purchase for $10 for your kids to last the whole month,” she said. “It just seems almost laughable for that amount to be what is the standard.”
On the health front, the first 100 days are most critical for young children’s development, Scully said. If those nutrition building blocks aren’t there, then kids’ growth and development could be jeopardized. Plus studies show that investment in WIC saves dollars in the long term for health-care and special-education costs, she said.
Lane said that proposed reductions would hit more than just families; farmers and farmers markets in agriculture-rich Washington would also feel the effects: “This cut is really targeting, in addition to the families, it’s really targeting farmers.”
Shoppers can use their WIC cash value benefits to purchase fresh veggies and fruit at the Olympia Farmers Market, for example.
WIC’s participation numbers have continued to climb in recent years, Scully said. Today the program is helping about 6.8 million households, and there have been concerted efforts to boost participation rates. She fears that cuts could work to slow that momentum, sending word that WIC “is closed to families.”
“And it’s just going to take us backwards,” she said.
Broad coalition sounds alarm as U.S. House looks to cut WIC benefits
