WIC food programme gets $300 mn to keep running during US govt shutdown

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A food aid programme that supports millions of low-income mothers and their young children received a $300 million infusion from the Trump administration this week, alleviating some anxiety that it would run out of money during the government shutdown.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition programme for Women, Infants and Children helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents to purchase nutritious staples like fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and infant formula. The program, known as WIC, was at risk of running out of money this month because of the government shutdown, which occurred right before it was slated to receive its annual appropriation.

This week, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt posted on X that said that the White House had found a creative solution to use tariff revenues to keep the programme afloat. By Thursday, at least some states were receiving WIC money. Alaska and Washington said they received enough federal funds to keep their programs running until at least the end of October. The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, which had closed its office Thursday after running out of money, received money that allowed it to reopen Friday, radio station KUNR reported.

WIC is run by the US Department of Agriculture. In a call on Thursday with congressional staffers, officials said they were using $300 million in leftover tariff revenue to keep WIC afloat, two people briefed on the call told AP, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to share details from the call.

Tariffs help fund some child nutrition programs at the Department of Agriculture. The law permits the administration to transfer the funds.

Without the additional money, state and local governments would have had to step in to pay for their WIC programs and later seek reimbursement from the federal government when funding was restored.

In Alaska, the WIC programme only had enough federal money to operate through Saturday, meaning the state would have had to step in with its own funding to keep the programme running. But this week, officials learned they were receiving nearly $900,000, enough to fully fund the programme through November 8, according to Shirley Sakaye, a spokesperson with the state's health department. About half a million of that came from leftover funds from other programs, she said.

The government has been shut down since October 1, after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to pass a bill to continue funding the government. Congressional Democrats want to reverse cuts to Medicaid that were passed earlier this year as part of President Donald Trump's mega-bill. They also want to extend subsidies that cut the cost of Affordable Care Act insurance plans, which cover 25 million Americans.

The White House and Republicans in Congress have hammered Democrats for the shutdown, highlighting the potential damage it could do to WIC.

The Democrats are so cruel in their continual votes to shut down the government that they forced the WIC programme for the most vulnerable women and children to run out this week, Leavitt posted on X.

But House Republicans and the White House have also sought to cut the program. Trump's budget proposal and a budget bill passed by House Republicans last month would have not fully funded the program, meaning it would have to turn away eligible applicants.