RAISE YOUR VOICE TO DEMAND THAT WIC BE FULLY FUNDED
WIC is facing a crisis. We need all of you to step up and speak out for Pennsylvania Women, Infants, and Children!
As we enter 2024, Congress is working to finalize a spending deal for the current fiscal year before the March spending deadlines. If WIC does not receive additional funding in the next spending plan, the program would face a roughly $1 billion shortfall in 2024.
Without additional funding, 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults risk losing access to WIC, with harm disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic Families.
WE NEED YOU TO HELP MAKE CLEAR THAT DENYING ELIGIBLE FAMILIES ACCESS TO THIS BENEFIT IS UNACCEPTABLE! LEGISLATORS NEED TO KNOW THAT THEIR CONSTITUENTS CARE ABOUT WIC.
There are many ways to get involved:
Call your Member of Congress! Use a Find Your Legislator tool to look up your legislators, then call Congress at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to the correct office.
Send an email directly to your member of Congress by using FRAC’s Action Network.
Get loud on social media! Make sure your network knows that WIC works and needs to be funded! Find your Member of Congress and be sure to tag them!
Sample Messaging for a Call or an Email
Hello, my name is NAME and I live in CITY. I’m CALLING/WRITING to ask LEGISLATOR to fully fund WIC. If Congress does not include full funding for WIC in the final fiscal year 2024 appropriations package, 2 million individuals, including 51,000 in Pennsylvania, risk losing access to this science based, proven benefit, which has a track record of reducing hunger, improving diet quality, and preventing disease. It is unacceptable for any eligible individuals to be denied access to this benefit. Please act quickly to secure full funding so that Pennsylvania families have the opportunity to thrive. Thank you.
More Background Information
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is facing a urgent funding crisis. Since the previous fiscal year ended on September 30, 2023, Congress has passed several Continuing Resolutions, temporarily funding the government at the previous year's spending levels in order to avoid a government shutdown. WIC, which has seen increased participation and food costs, has received permission to spend down dollars as fast as is necessary to maintain participation and benefit amounts, setting up a looming funding shortfall.
Without additional dollars, WIC will face a severe funding shortfall, which will have devastating impacts for low-income families. If WIC does not receive additional funding in the next spending plan, roughly 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults risk losing access to WIC, with harm disproportionately affecting Black and Hispanic Families.
Want to Learn More About WIC?
Check out FRAC’s Fact sheet to learn more about this funding crisis. Or, see how WIC helps those in your county by visiting Thriving PA’s statewide or county fact sheets.
Why WIC?
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves the health and nutrition of eligible participants by providing nutrition services, breastfeeding support, health care and social services, and healthy foods. Decades of research have shown that WIC is highly effective, supporting better birth outcomes, healthier diets, and breastfeeding. Participation in WIC has also been shown to increase food security, immunization rates, and access to health care. These benefits result in tangible economic impact: each $1 in WIC spending leads to $2.50 in health care savings. The bottom line: WIC works.
