Federal Budget Update

December 18 , 2007

GREAT NEWS: HOUSE FULLY FUNDS WIC!

As Congressional budget deliberations crash to a close, it appears likely that WIC can avoid harmful funding reductions early next year. We’re out of the woods!

Yesterday the House passed a Consolidated Appropriations Bill (CAB), funding WIC at $6.02 Billion – enough for states to serve 8.55 million participants. This means California WIC can avoid caseload or food package cuts! 

WIC received $5.6 B in Agriculture Appropriations and an additional $400 M as part of an emergency spending package. Other WIC funds for FFY 2008 include:

• $150 M to top up the WIC Contingency Fund
• $14 M for infrastructure funding
• $15 M for Breastfeeding Peer Counseling
• $30 for MIS (subject to caseload need)
• $20 M for the WIC Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program.

The White House has signaled that it will not oppose the additional WIC funding the CAB. The Senate will have to add funding for the Iraq war to gain the President’s signature, but advocates in Washington are quite confident that the deal will go through.

The CWA Board of Directors and Staff would like extend warm and heartfelt thanks to all of our WIC partners, program allies, and grassroots supporters for your dedication and activism on behalf of WIC in the past few weeks. Many of you went the “extra mile” during a busy time to make calls, send out alerts, or talk to reporters. Some of you did so while facing similar challenges to funding or policy in the programs that serve the same low-income families or communities.

WIC could not have weathered this storm without your support.

Thanks to all and Happy Holidays!

-- Laurie True and the CWA Board and Staff