SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly 10,000 Spokane County families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, could soon face higher grocery bills under proposed federal funding cuts.
A section of the 2027 Agriculture Appropriations Bill has proposed funding cuts to one of WIC’s programs that provides a certain amount of money each month to spend on produce. It was approved by the House Appropriations Committee 35 to 25 last month.
Spokane Regional Health District manages six local WIC offices. They say a breastfeeding mother currently receives an additional $52 through the fruits and vegetables program. If passed, that would be cut the amount to $13. Other pregnant or post-partum mothers who aren’t breastfeeding, are also at risk of receiving less each month.
“Our client base, they’re already struggling to be able to afford nutritious foods and so WIC steps in and provides that in such an impactful way, taking that away would be detrimental” said Mary Wood, SRHD’s WIC program manager.
Washington’s Department of Health says these cuts would affect an estimated 115,000 WIC participants.
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