02.17.23

Ranking Members Scott, Bonamici Praise Proposal to Provide Expanded, Healthier Food Options for WIC Participants

WASHINGTON – Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) wrote to the Department of Agriculture in support of its proposal to improve food assistance for participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

“The WIC program has proven vital to infants, children, and pregnant and postpartum women by promoting healthy growth and development, increasing intake of vitamins, minerals, and nutrient-dense foods, as well as lowering health care costs, especially in low-income and communities of color,” Ranking Members Scott and Bonamici wrote. “We appreciate the Department’s actions to ensure appropriate nutrition for those served by the WIC program using a science-based review.  These actions are particularly important given that the WIC program is in a unique position to improve the health outcomes of low-income and communities of color that are often disproportionally impacted by food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease.”

The proposed updates would use a science-based review of WIC food packages to provide families with greater access to healthy food and to address both the continued inequities in access to nutritious food and disproportionate impact of diet-related needs in low-income areas. Specifically, the Biden-Harris administration’s proposal would:

  • Provide WIC participants with a wider variety of foods that align with the latest nutritional science;
  • Help WIC State agencies better accommodate food packages for participants' dietary needs and personal and cultural food preferences;
  • Provide more equitable access to supplemental foods; and,
  • Increase the monthly Cash-Value Voucher benefit for fresh fruits and vegetables.

For the full text of the letter, click here.

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