The White House will use tariff revenue to keep a food aid program afloat after its funds have dwindled throughout the government shutdown.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) was at risk of depleting its funds roughly two weeks into the shutdown, with the White House moving to fund the program themselves for “the foreseeable future” as lawmakers drag their feet. The program benefitted nearly 7 million low-income women and children in 2024 alone, providing vouchers for healthy groceries, as well as referrals to health care and social services.
The Office of Management and Budget was credited for finding the “creative solution” to transfer the tariff revenue directly to the WIC program, but the White House has declined to say how much money will be sent. In 2024, the government spent over $7 billion on the food aid program, according to Axios.
The program’s insecurity amid the shutdown became a focal point for lawmakers such as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune who have both highlighted the danger the shutdown poses to WIC recipients and active U.S. service members whose families are at risk of facing food insecurity.
A prolonged shutdown would cause military families to not receive their next paycheck on Oct. 15, and food pantries at military bases such as Fort Hood in Texas have seen steep increases in demand as the shutdown spurs financial stress on families.
“It’s American families, the American people who are paying the price. The program funding for the WIC program — women’s, infants and children’s program — is set to expire,” Thune warned on Tuesday. “We have young airmen and soldiers deployed around the world right now defending our freedom. They’ve left their young families at home. They’re dependent upon that check on October 15, and some of them, sadly, also rely on WIC funding that’s suspended as well.”
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