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The White House announced on Tuesday that it has secured temporary funding to keep a major federal nutrition program for women and children operational during the partial government shutdown.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly referred to as WIC, offers food vouchers, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education to approximately 6 million low-income mothers and young children. The program had been expected to run out of funding within weeks.
According to Axios, the Trump administration plans to redirect tariff revenues to sustain WIC in the short term. A senior White House official described the move as a temporary measure but did not disclose the amount of money that would be transferred. The Office of Management and Budget developed what the official referred to as a “creative solution” to maintain the program.
“The Democrats are so cruel in their continual votes to shut down the government, they forced the WIC program for the most vulnerable women and children to run out this week,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X.
“Thankfully, President Trump and the White House have identified a creative solution to transfer resources from Section 232 tariff revenue to this critical program. The Trump White House will not allow impoverished mothers and their babies to go hungry because of the Democrats’ political games,” she added.
The federal government spent more than $7 billion on WIC during fiscal year 2024. Democrats have opposed Republican efforts to restrict eligibility or reduce funding for the program.
Separately, Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act included new work requirements for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest food aid program.
The Trump administration also warned Tuesday that federal workers furloughed during a government shutdown may not receive back pay, reversing a decades-long policy that has covered roughly 750,000 employees, according to a memo circulated by the White House.
The move was viewed as a pressure tactic to force lawmakers to reach a funding deal as negotiations remain stalled. Democrats claim their support for a short-term spending bill is due to the extension of health subsidies that reduce the cost of Affordable Care Act plans. Republicans note the concern over taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants.