Congress passed a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and continue funding government programs through January 2024 with a glaring omission–they did not include extra aid money for low-income parents, children, and infants.

Congress failed to fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)–a nutrition program that is targeted to the critical life stages of pregnancy and postpartum and birth through the age of 5. Now, without the additional aid, states may have to begin turning away large numbers of parents and their children from the program.

WIC is an important program for accessing family support. It reduces preterm births, low birth weight and infant mortality, and is an extremely cost-effective investment–every $1 spent on WIC results in an average savings of $2.48 in health care costs.

Meanwhile, rising costs of food, housing, child care, and other basic needs all continue to contribute to increased food insecurity and hunger. As WIC faces a funding shortfall for the first time in decades, access will be jeopardized, disproportionately impacting Black and Latino families.

Congress must take the next opportunity they have to fund this critical program. The short-term spending bill covering food and agriculture programs expires in January. Lawmakers must fund WIC in order to protect vulnerable parents, children, and infants.

Sign the petition: Demand Congress fund WIC and continue the vital program for parents and children.