Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
WASHINGTON, September 10, 2025 – The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) and 387 national, state, and local organizations signed on to a letter urging Congress to continue its nearly 30-year bipartisan commitment to fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), one of the nation’s largest federal nutrition programs, for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
WIC serves 6.8 million individuals and young children, including nearly 40 percent of all infants born in the U.S. The program provides pregnant and postpartum individuals, infants, and young children with nutritious foods, nutrition education, and improved access to health care and services. WIC’s cash value benefit (CVB) allows families to purchase more fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, providing greater access to critical nutrients that support healthy growth and development.
The signatories support the Senate’s FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which funds WIC at $8.2 billion — a $603 million increase from FY 2025 — while safeguarding the CVB. The signatories underscore that any funding level less than the Senate-passed amounts is unacceptable and will harm the nutrition and health outcomes of mothers, babies, and young children. Unlike the Senate bill, the House-passed bill includes insufficient funding for WIC and slashes the CVB, cutting fruit and vegetable purchases by 10 percent.
“This is a no-brainer. The Senate bill fully funds WIC, while the House version falls way short,” said Crystal FitzSimons, president of FRAC. “At a time when a growing number of families are eligible for the program, Congress must ensure WIC is fully funded and prioritize the nutrition and health of families in this country.”
In addition to passing the Senate’s appropriations bill, the letter calls for enforceable language to be included in any short- or long-term spending bill to ensure that WIC funding is allocated and reaches the people the program is designed to serve.
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The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.