President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are pursuing steep cuts to the federal WIC program — a bipartisan favorite once considered to be untouchable — which provides access to nutritious food for mothers with low incomes and their babies and young children.
Roughly 35,000 people in Philadelphia rely on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Women, Infants, and Children program, which provides food, nutrition education, and other assistance to low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children under age 5. More than 20,000 beneficiaries are spread throughout the four collar counties.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House is currently considering a bill that would slice $200 million from the program’s overall $8.2 billion budget.