House GOP, With Help of 4 Dems, Votes to Take Food Aid From Millions of Women and Kids

House Republicans, with the help of four Democrats, voted Thursday to approve legislation that would slash nutrition assistance for millions of young children and pregnant and postpartum women, even as food prices continue to rise nationwide and earlier GOP cuts to federal aid take hold.In a 213-210 vote, largely along party lines, House lawmakers passed an appropriations bill that would fund the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other agencies for the coming fiscal year. The four Democrats who voted with most Republicans to approve the measure were Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Adam Gray (Calif.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), and Don Davis (NC).The bill, if also passed by the Senate and signed by President Donald Trump, would cut fruit and vegetable benefits that young kids and pregnant and postpartum women receive under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has estimated that the cut would strip modest fruit and vegetable benefits from nearly 5.4 million toddlers, preschoolers, and pregnant and postpartum WIC participants. Under current law, CBPP observed, children receive 26 monthly for fruits and vegetables, pregnant and postpartum participants receive 48, and breastfeeding participants receive 52.Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said following Thursday's vote that while working families struggle to feed their families, Republicans are cutting funding for fruit and vegetable vouchers for women, infants, and children.Working moms are already stretched thin, and Republicans are making it even harder to put dinner on the table, said DeLauro. The president’s tariffs have hurt American farmers, and now the Republican plan is to cut off crucial assistance that they have come to rely on even more.The House-passed appropriations bill would cut WIC by a total of 200 million compared to current levels, slashing 141 million in funding for fruit and vegetable benefits. The USDA's website says that WIC saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and children, describing the program as one of the most successful federally funded nutrition programs in the United States. Trump's USDA chief, Brooke Rollins, has openly celebrated the large-scale loss of federal nutrition aid stemming from the Republican budget package that Trump signed into law last summer. That legislation included unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), another highly effective food aid program.The House vote to cut WIC broadly aligns with the Trump White House's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027—but doesn't go as far as the president envisioned. The National WIC Association noted that the House bill cuts WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefits by about 10, a first step toward an up to 75 cut sought by the White House.“The House proposal fails WIC families when they need help most, said Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association. It would force WIC to turn away eligible families for the first time in 30 years, breaking Congress’ 30-year bipartisan commitment to full WIC funding. For the families who receive WIC, it chips away at their ability to buy the very fruits and vegetables that federal dietary guidelines say all Americans should eat more of.