Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) on Tuesday launched a invoice to fund the Particular Supplemental Diet Program for Girls, Infants, and Kids (WIC) throughout the federal government shutdown, because the funding lapse threatens funds of advantages if it continues.
It comes after the Trump administration earlier in October transferred $300 million in tariff income to WIC to stop a funding lapse for the meals support program, which the Nationwide WIC Affiliation warned final week was “rapidly depleting, and numerous states are projected to exhaust their resources for WIC benefits as early as next month.” It’s unclear if there might be one other switch of funds to maintain WIC funded.
“We’re grateful that the administration had advanced funds through the end of October. But the goal here is to not have innocent women, infants and children suffer because of legislators not being able to pass a budget,” Bresnahan instructed The Hill.
The Maintain WIC Working Act would fund WIC in the course of the shutdown till President Trump indicators both a stopgap invoice to fund the federal government or Congress appropriates funds to the Division of Agriculture. Thus far, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) have co-sponsored the invoice.
Textual content of the invoice is almost an identical to that of one other invoice to fund the Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) in the course of the shutdown, led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) within the Senate and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) within the Home. Bresnahan has additionally co-sponsored the SNAP Home invoice as that meals support program is liable to not being funded on Nov. 1.
“Talking about the SNAP program and making sure that’s adequately funded. I hope that WIC is also received in a similar capacity,” Bresnahan stated.
It might be powerful for the invoice to get a vote, since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has stored the Home out of session as Republicans intention to stress Senate Democrats into accepting a “clean” persevering with decision to fund the federal government via Nov. 21. Democrats have known as on Republicans to barter on well being care priorities together with an extension of ObamaCare enhanced subsidies on the finish of the yr, however Republicans have refused to barter till Democrats conform to open the federal government.
Requested in a Monday press convention about stand-alone votes on carve-outs for funding priorities like salaries for federal employees or SNAP in a shutdown, Johnson stated these votes are a “waste of time” since Democrats are voting down the payments.
However after Johnson’s feedback and Bresnahan launched the invoice on Tuesday, Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated in a press convention that Senate Democrats would introduce a invoice to fund SNAP and WIC in the course of the shutdown.
The Division of Agriculture indicated that SNAP advantages can be suspended on Nov. 1 due to the shutdown, however Democratic officers in 25 states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday arguing that the administration is legally required to first faucet the SNAP contingency fund. That has between $5 billion and $6 billion in it — not sufficient to cowl the total price of the $8 billion of November advantages.
“The easiest solution is just to vote to open the government and pass a clean continuing resolution,” Bresnahan instructed The Hill quickly after Schumer’s remark, however he stated the Democratic invoice “certainly would be something to look at.”
Bresnahan stated that final week he visited a nonprofit in his district, Maternal and Household Well being Companies, which works to attach households to WIC and different applications.
“They are genuinely concerned about what the end of this month is going to bring, and I don’t necessarily think it’s a partisan issue,” Bresnahan stated.
Greater than 14,000 individuals depend on WIC in northeastern Pennsylvania, his workplace stated.
Bresnahan added that he wish to see a long-term resolution past a stopgap that’s extra than simply “paper clips and bubble gum to get us through,” so Congress just isn’t “sacrificing ladies and kids.”
