Dear Community Member,

In many parts of California’s 19th and across the country, many working families depend on WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) to help buy food and meet the nutritional needs of their newborns and young children.  This program helps pregnant women and new moms buy formula, milk, and healthy fruits and vegetables to support their children’s growth.  WIC drives better health outcomes not only for children, but also their mothers, and saves the country money by reducing healthcare costs by more than $2 for every dollar spent on the program.
 
The program is not just the right thing to do for working families, it’s fiscally responsible.

Unfortunately, this lifeline for mothers and young children is under threat because of the current government shutdown and is at risk of running out of funds.  While the U.S. Department of Agriculture is using temporary funds at the moment, reserves could soon run out.

What is most worrisome is that allies of this Administration have called for eliminating the WIC program entirely, which would be devastating for young families.

That’s why we must act to protect WIC right now.  I’m calling on the Administration and Congress to immediately restore WIC, and will fight efforts to take away crucial nutrition assistance for our children.  I also am supporting the Continuity and Reimbursement for Essential Nutrition (CARE) for WIC During Shutdowns Act, which would ensure states are reimbursed for any shortfall in federal WIC funding caused by a government shutdown. 

We can’t risk the health of working families with young children, and we can’t strain our healthcare system further in the face of the reconciliation law's cuts to healthcare and the looming Affordable Care Act subsidy cliff.

We must begin to negotiate to not only reopen the federal government, but also, together, we must protect the health of our working families by preserving WIC.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative
19th Congressional District, California