WIC Benefits Protection Act

Bill Number

H.R. 5740

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-10-10: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Last Updated

2026-03-10T08:05:35Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The WIC Benefits Protection Act (H.R. 5740) aims to strengthen the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by making its funding mandatory and permanent. WIC provides nutritional support, including food vouchers, nutrition education, and health referrals, to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and young children to improve health outcomes.

Key Provisions

• Mandatory Program Implementation: Amends Section 17(c) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out the WIC program nationwide, changing optional language ("may carry out") to obligatory language ("shall carry out").
• Eligibility Adjustments: Updates Section 17(d)(1) to affirmatively state that eligible individuals "shall be" able to participate, removing limits on participation and emphasizing access for qualified low-income families.
• Permanent Funding: Revises Section 17(g) to appropriate indefinite sums from the U.S. Treasury for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent year, ensuring ongoing resources without reliance on annual congressional approvals.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Shifts WIC funding from discretionary (subject to yearly budget decisions) to mandatory (automatically funded like Social Security), providing budget stability.
• Restructures statutory language for clarity, such as redesignating paragraphs and capitalizing sentences, without altering core meanings.
• Eliminates the previous authorization of appropriations, replacing it with direct, open-ended funding commitments.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: The USDA, which oversees WIC, will have reliable funding to expand services without annual budget uncertainties, potentially reducing administrative disruptions during funding lapses.
• On Citizens: Low-income families, particularly pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children up to age 5, will gain more consistent access to nutrition assistance, potentially improving maternal and child health outcomes like reducing food insecurity and low birth weights.
• On International Relations: No direct impact, as the bill focuses on domestic nutrition programs.
• Overall, it could prevent service cuts during budget shortfalls, benefiting an estimated 6-7 million participants annually.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Primary Beneficiaries: Low-income women, infants, and children eligible for WIC, including underserved communities.
• Government Entities: USDA (program administrator) and state agencies (which deliver WIC services locally).
• Other Groups: Food retailers and healthcare providers participating in WIC, as well as advocacy organizations focused on child nutrition.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Reinforces WIC as an entitlement program, meaning eligible participants have a stronger legal right to benefits, potentially reducing challenges from funding gaps.
• Constitutional: Relies on Congress's power to appropriate funds from the Treasury, a standard mechanism for federal programs, without raising separation-of-powers issues.
• Political: Establishes long-term funding stability, which could limit future congressional debates over WIC budgets but may increase overall federal spending; introduced by a bipartisan group (primarily Democrats), it signals broad support for child nutrition priorities.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3]

Cosponsors (98)

Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1], Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11], Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4], Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7], Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7], Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1], Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5], Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10], Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2], Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2], Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6], Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1], Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2], Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30], Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11], Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6], Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17], Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35], Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4], Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5], Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2], Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13], Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5], Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22], Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4], Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6], Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4], Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10], Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3], Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5], Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24], Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15], Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] and 48 more

Recent Actions

• 2025-10-10: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
• 2025-10-10: Introduced in House
• 2025-10-10: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• WIC Benefits Protection Act — issued 2025-10-10 — PDF (3 pages)