Exclusive: White House says it has funding to save food aid program
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The White House has found funding to keep afloat a food aid program that had been threatened by the government shutdown.
Why it matters: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (also known as WIC) is relied upon by millions of low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women and young children.
- The program — which provides vouchers for healthy food, breastfeeding assistance and nutritional education — was in danger of running out of funding within weeks amid the government shutdown, Axios has previously reported.
The details: The administration will transfer funding derived from tariff revenue to keep the program going for "the foreseeable future," according to a senior White House official.
- The official described the infusion as a temporary fix and declined to say how much money was being sent.
- They said the Office of Management and Budget had worked to find a "creative solution" to preserve WIC.
Zoom in: The federal government spent over $7 billion in the 2024 fiscal year to fund WIC.
- More than 6 million people benefit from the program.
What they're saying: "President Trump and the White House have identified a creative solution to transfer resources from Section 232 tariff revenue to this critical program," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tells Axios. "The Trump White House will not allow impoverished mothers and their babies to go hungry because of the Democrats' political games."
The other side: Democrats have routinely fought against Republicans' efforts in Congress to limit WIC eligibility and funding.
- And Trump's "one, big beautiful bill" tightened work requirements for a separate program — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is country's largest nutrition assistance program.
