Tell Congress to Fund WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors & Oppose Congressional Intervention in WIC Food Packages!

On June 19, the House Appropriations Committee passed a FY 2013 Agriculture Appropriations bill, with three very troubling components:

1. Inadequate funding. The bill funds WIC at $6.922 billion, which is $119 million short of the President’s budget request. The White House has threatened a veto due in part to this inadequate funding level.
2. Peer Counselors Eliminated. The bill sets no funding aside for breastfeeding peer counselors and related activities, MIS/EBT, or Infrastructure, all of which had been included in the Senate version of the bill. The potential loss of breastfeeding support funds, in particular, could immediately and negatively impact breastfeeding rates and positive health outcomes, not to mention badly needed jobs in hard-hit communities
3. Spuds Sell-Out. Despite broad objections from WIC and public health community, as well as Democratic members, the Committee approved an amendment requiring USDA to include white potatoes in the WIC food packages. This attempt to interfere with impartial and evidence-based WIC policymaking marks a troubling new trend of politicizing WIC decisions due to special interest pressures, such as from the potato industry.

The House Ag Appropriations bill will go to the floor in a few weeks.

Please take Action before July 9! Tell Congress to fund WIC breastfeeding peer counselors and to stay out of the science of the WIC food packages!

• Sign on here to support NWA’s Joint Statement Urging Support of $60 million for WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors in FY 2013 to distribute to each member of the House.

•  Reach out to your state and local partners (State Associations, hospitals, non-profits, health care practices, health groups) and ask them to sign on!

• Click here to send your representative a message or call the Capitol switchboard using NWA’s toll-free number 1-855-HELP-WIC (1-855-435-7942) to urge them 1) to include $60 million in breastfeeding peer counselor funding for WIC in FY 2013 that is not restricted by caseload needs, and 2) oppose efforts to interfere in the scientific process of determining WIC food packages!

Questions? Call Donna at CWA or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !