Rep. Adams Co-Leads Letter Defending Food Aid from Proposed Cuts

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Thursday, January 11, 2024) – Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) this week joined Senators Cory Booker (NJ) and Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Lucy McBath (GA-07) in co-leading a letter to Congressional Leadership calling for full funding of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the 2024 fiscal year.

“Eating is a human right,” said Rep. Adams. “When you starve kids you harm them for life. When you starve Moms, you harm kids. 

The WIC program is barely adequate as it is. Now they want to take food out of children’s mouths, for what? – to cut more taxes for the wealthy.”

The letter calls for full funding for the WIC program in any final appropriations package for the 2024 fiscal year. A vital program for healthy food, medical interventions and healthcare referrals, breastfeeding support, and nutritional education, WIC has been funded on a bipartisan basis since 1997, its benefits in health and stability outcomes is well-documented. If the program is defunded, up to two million women, children, and babies would be at risk of food insecurity.

Numerous organizations nationally and within North Carolina weighed in on the importance of the letter and WIC:

“The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is one of the country’s most indispensable, cost-effective, popular federal programs,” said MomsRising Executive Director and CEO Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “It prevents babies from going hungry, provides new moms with breastfeeding support, and helps families afford formula for their babies and fresh, nutritious produce for their young children. America’s moms are demanding that Congress fund WIC at levels that will ensure this vital nutrition assistance program can serve all pregnant women, postpartum moms, babies, and toddlers. Nothing less is acceptable.”

“WIC is a vital lifeline for millions of vulnerable American families” the letter’s authoring lawmakers wrote. “It provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, health care referrals, and other important services to nearly 7 million low-income pregnant and postpartum participants, infants, and young children nationwide. For more than 25 years, there has been a bipartisan commitment to provide adequate funding for WIC to serve every eligible family that relies on the program and to ensure that those in need are not turned away. At the foundation of this commitment is substantial evidence of WIC’s positive impacts on the health and development of its participants.” 

"Carolina Farm Trust commends Congresswoman Alma Adams for her unwavering support of the WIC program, which plays a vital role in ensuring access to nutritious foods for women, infants, and children in need,” said Zack Wyatt, President and CEO of Carolina Farm Trust. “Her dedication to addressing food insecurity and promoting the well-being of vulnerable communities is truly commendable. WIC is vital for building healthy and stable communities. It benefits all of us."

“For nearly thirty years, a tradition of bipartisan support has ensured that WIC receives adequate funding to assist every qualifying family seeking help,” said Georgia Machell, interim president & CEO of the National WIC Association. “Now, as WIC approaches its 50th anniversary, it should be an occasion for celebration; however, we are confronted with the unprecedented risk of introducing waiting lists for the first time in decades. For the past ten years, WIC has delivered on a promise of progress by updating its service delivery, expanding outreach, and implementing evidence-based improvements to its food assistance program, which have all contributed to extending its reach to more families in need. It is imperative for Congress to fully fund WIC and ensure every mother, infant and child has access to the resources they need to thrive. Neglecting this duty would constitute a grave failure of obligation.”

"With rising food costs, and increased program participation, it is more critical than ever that we strengthen WIC to provide pregnant people, new moms, infants, and young children with the nutrition assistance, formula, and breastfeeding support they so desperately need,” said Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum, Administrator and Organizer with the NC Food System Advocacy Coalition. “If WIC isn't fully funded, about two million children and parents could be turned away. North Carolinians deserve better."

“Reams of evidence document the benefits of WIC, ranging from improved birth outcomes to increased immunization rates and improved diets of participants. It would be unconscionable for Congress not to fully fund WIC and allow this evidence-based program, which has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, to meet its full potential of supporting at-risk women, infants, and children” said Dr. Peter Lurie, President and Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The letter goes further in detailing the potential consequences of cuts to WIC.

“You can’t be healthy if you’re hungry,” Rep. Adams emphasized.

The letter is consigned by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-MN), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernard Sanders (D-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR); U.S. Representatives Colin Allred (D-TX-32), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04), Becca Balint (D-VT), Nanette Barragan (D-CA-44), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL), Suzanna Bonamici (D-OR-01), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16), Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), Julia Brownlet (D-CA-37), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Cori Bush (D-MO-01), Gregorio Kilili Camacho (D-AL), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO-07), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Tony Cardenas (D-CA-29), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Troy Carter (D-LA-02), Sean Casteen (D-IL-06), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-05), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Gerald Connoly (D-VA-11), J. Correa (D-CA-46), Joe Courtney (D-CT-02), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-100), Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Sharice Davids (D-KS-03), Donald Davis (D-IL-07), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Diana DeGette (D-CO-01), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Dwight Evans (D-PA-03), Valerie Foushee (D-NC-23), Maxwell Frost (D-IL-05), Jesús García (D-IL-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Daniel Goldman (D-FL-16), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), Al Green (D-TX-09), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-03), Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Val Hoyle (D-OR-02), Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-02), Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53), Henry Johnson (D-GA-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-54), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), William Keating (D-MA-09), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Daniel Kildee (D-MI-05), Andy Kim (D-NJ-03), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Greg Landsman (D-OH-01), Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Summer Lee (D-PA-34), Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Doris Matsui (D-CA-06), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-09), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), James McGovern (D-MA-02), Grace Meng (D-NY-06), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Joseph Morelle (D-NY-25), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-97), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-22), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Grace Napolitano (D-CA-32), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Eleanor Norton (D-DC-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20), Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-09), Donald Payne (D-NJ-10), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12), Mary Peltola (D-UT-03), Scott Peters (D-CA-52), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI-AL), Katie Porter (D-CA-45), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-04), Deborah Ross (D-NC-02), Raul Ruiz (D-CA-36), Patrick Ryan (D-NY-19), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-38), Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38), John P. Sarbanes (D-MD-03), Mary Scanlon (D-PA-05), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Adam Schiff (D-CA-28), Bradley Schneider (D-IL-10), Kim Schrier (D-WA-08), Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08), Eric Sorensen (D-WI-07), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01), Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH-13), Shri Thanedar (D-MI-03), Mike Thompson (D-CA-05), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), Jill Tokuda (D-HI-23), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Norma Torres (D-CA-35), Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15), Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), Juan Vargas (D-CA-51), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-07), Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), and Nikema Williams (D-GA-05).

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County) and serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, where she serves as ranking member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee.