Trump Administration Allocates $300 Million to WIC Amid Government Shutdown

Tue Dec 23 2025 18:41:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Trump administration has provided a $300 million emergency funding boost to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to prevent it from running out of funds during the ongoing government shutdown.

In a strategic move during the government shutdown, the Trump administration announced a $300 million funding increase for the WIC program, which supports over six million low-income mothers and children. This emergency funding comes from unused tariff revenues, easing concerns that the program would face financial difficulties this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A food aid program that supports millions of low-income mothers and their young children received a $300 million infusion from the Trump administration this week, alleviating some anxiety that it would run out of money during the government shutdown.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children, and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples like fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk, and infant formula. The program was at risk of running out of money this month because of the government shutdown, which occurred right before it was slated to receive its annual appropriation.

This week, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt posted on X indicating that the White House had found a creative solution to use tariff revenues to keep the program afloat. By Thursday, at least some states had begun receiving WIC funds. Alaska and Washington confirmed they received sufficient federal funds to sustain their programs until at least the end of October.

The Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, which had closed its office after exhausting its funds, received money that allowed it to reopen. According to briefings, the administration was utilizing $300 million in leftover tariff revenue to sustain WIC, allowing states to avoid the financial burden of funding the program independently.

Tariffs are partly used to fund various child nutrition programs within the Department of Agriculture, and the law permits the administration to transfer these funds for emergency situations. Without this additional funding, state and local governments would have faced the challenge of covering WIC costs upfront and later seeking reimbursement from the federal government.

The ongoing shutdown has been a topic of contention. The government has been unable to pass a funding bill since October 1, due to disagreements between Congressional Democrats and Republicans over issues such as Medicaid funding and the Affordable Care Act. The White House and Republican leaders have criticized Democratic lawmakers for their role in the shutdown, pointing to its potential harm to programs like WIC.