Proposed SNAP and Medicaid Cuts Cast Shadow Over WIC Programs

Congress is considering substantial cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid as part of the ongoing budget reconciliation process. Though the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – which currently provides essential nutritional and health services to more than 6.7 million pregnant women, postpartum and breastfeeding mothers, infants, and young children – has not been directly targeted, these proposed cuts still threaten to significantly impact access to WIC.

This indirect yet severe consequence arises due to a crucial policy known as adjunctive eligibility. Adjunctive eligibility allows families already enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to qualify automatically for WIC, eliminating the need for additional income verification. This streamlined process is vital, especially considering that 80.4 percent of WIC participants in 2022 reported also participating in SNAP, Medicaid, or TANF, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Earlier in 2023, the USDA emphasized this crucial connection, instructing states to assess adjunctive eligibility before requiring families to provide additional documentation to qualify for WIC. The USDA guidance also strongly recommended that states enroll infants in WIC promptly after birth through adjunctive eligibility, leveraging their families’ existing participation in other federal programs to quickly provide essential nutritional support to newborns.

However, proposed budget cuts to SNAP alone could strip hundreds of thousands of infants and young children of their automatic WIC eligibility, according to estimates by the National WIC Association. If cuts to Medicaid and TANF are also enacted, the negative effects would multiply, causing even greater numbers of families to lose streamlined access to critical WIC benefits.

Already, many eligible women, infants, and children miss out on WIC due to barriers related to program awareness and enrollment processes – currently, only about half of eligible families actually receive these vital benefits. Additional obstacles created by the proposed SNAP and Medicaid cuts could further reduce participation. Such changes would compel WIC offices to independently verify household income, greatly increasing administrative burdens, causing delays, and potentially preventing vulnerable families from accessing urgently needed nutritional support.

Ultimately, these proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid would lead to more stress on state agencies, a more cumbersome application process for families, and an increased risk of eligible families falling through the cracks. Together, SNAP, Medicaid, and WIC form an interconnected support system essential to the health and well-being of millions of families across the nation. Allowing cuts to any part of this system threatens the stability and effectiveness of the entire network.

Advocates urge individuals to reach out to their representatives in Congress, calling on them to oppose these proposed cuts and protect essential nutrition programs, ensuring that vulnerable families continue receiving the critical support they rely on.