WIC Food Program Saved by Tariffs, Axios Reports

The White House says it has found temporary funding to keep a major federal nutrition program for women and children operating during the partial government shutdown.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which serves about 6 million low-income mothers and young children, provides vouchers for nourishing food, breastfeeding assistance, and nutrition education.

The program, known as WIC, had been expected to run out of money within weeks.

According to Axios, President Donald Trump's administration will redirect funds from tariff revenue to keep WIC running for the time being, a senior White House official said.

The official described the action as a short-term measure and did not specify how much money was being transferred but said the Office of Management and Budget had developed 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 in a post 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," she said. "The Trump White House will not allow impoverished mothers and their babies to go hungry because of the Democrats' political games."

The federal government spent more than $7 billion on WIC in fiscal 2024. Democrats have opposed Republican efforts to reduce eligibility and funding for the program.

Separately, Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act tightened work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation's largest food aid program.

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