Overview
- The House approved an Agriculture appropriations measure 213–210 on Thursday that includes an estimated $141 million reduction in WIC fruit-and-vegetable benefits and now sends the bill to the Senate for consideration.
- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says the cut would affect about 5.4 million WIC participants and the National WIC Association estimates monthly vouchers could fall from roughly $52 to $13 for nursing mothers and from $26 to $10 for young children.
- Rep. Andy Harris defended the change as consistent with lower participation and carryover funds and said WIC remains 'fully funded,' but analysts contend the USDA participation data he cited cover only the fiscal year's first quarter and likely understate demand because that period included a government shutdown.
- Four Democrats — Donald Davis, Adam Gray, Vicente Gonzalez, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez — joined most Republicans to pass the bill, a margin that exposed intra-party divisions and required centrist defections to secure approval.
- If the Senate and the president approve the measure, state WIC agencies could face lower per-person vouchers or be forced to turn away eligible families, and advocates warn the move aligns with the Trump administration's FY2027 budget push for deeper nutrition-program cuts.