A food aid program designed to help low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and young children get access to healthy foods, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals will be funded through October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told congressional staff Thursday in a briefing, reports Politico.
The plan involves using $300 million in tariff revenue from child nutrition programs left over from the prior calendar year to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which was expecting fresh federal funding as the new fiscal year started on Oct. 1.
The government shutdown has now reached day 10 and the $8 billion WIC program, which helps more than 6 million low-income mothers and young children, was being kept afloat by a $150 million contingency fund.
States have already spent nearly all of that money.
USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis declined to comment on the report but did confirm the Trump administration’s intentions to fund the program.
Report: USDA to Tap Tariff Cash to Fund WIC as Shutdown Hits Week 2
