Republicans Oppose Providing Supplemental Nutrition For Children?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), also known as WIC, is facing a significant funding shortfall. House GOP lawmakers are grappling with reconciling their funding measure with the Senate version, which is more generous. Student advocates argue that unstable times pose a risk to children going hungry, but Republicans argue that the $11 billion program was never meant to be permanent. The House has called to reduce SNAP benefits for adults without children, and Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) is considering many SNAP cut proposals that would take food benefits away from families with low income.

In 1981 and 1982, Reagan slashed funds for child nutrition, food stamps, and welfare, impacting student loans and job training programs. Congress reached a bipartisan, bicameral deal to extend child nutrition waivers through the summer and upcoming 2022-23 school year. Thirteen states, all led by GOP governors, have opted out of a federal program providing summer grocery benefits to low-income families with school-age children. Some conservative thinkers are pushing Republicans to move on from Reagan-era family policy and send cash to families.

House Republican lawmakers are moving to strip out major portions of a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing child hunger, arguing they are costly and ineffective. Beneficiaries of SNAP and WIC might end up getting caught in the crossfire of a proposed funding deal. Unlike other federal nutrition programs, WIC funding has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, with Republicans and Democrats committed to improving access to food for low-income families.