Some 600,000 parents and young children would be denied WIC benefits under USDA funding bills pending in the House and Senate, said the think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on Thursday. “The eligible people who would be put on waiting lists are disproportionately in Black and Hispanic families,” said a CBPP blog.
“With a [funding] shortfall looming and no assurance that additional funding is coming, states may soon take steps to slow enrollment and reduce spending,” wrote Katie Bergh and Lauren Hall in the blog. The Women, Infants, and Children program provides supplemental food packages and health care referrals to pregnant women, new mothers, and children up to age 5. There were 6.4 million WIC participants at latest count, with an average monthly benefit of $51.62. Recent increases in enrollment and higher food prices have driven up the cost of the program.
“Because Black and Hispanic families are more likely to receive WIC than families of other races or ethnicities, a WIC funding shortfall that forces children onto waiting lists would disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic children,” said the CBPP. “Particularly at risk are the 165,000 Black 3-year-olds, 357,000 Hispanic 3-year-olds, 482,000 white 3-year-olds, and 168,000 3-year-olds of another race now participating in WIC; if Congress does not provide adequate funding for WIC, these 3-year-olds are likely to be among the first turned away from WIC when they turn 4 and their benefits must be renewed.”