2012 Farm Bill and WIC

This year Congress was set to pass a new "farm bill", a federal legislation enacted every five to seven years that sets the general direction for America’s farm and food policy. There are two versions (House and Senate) of the 2012 "farm bill" that have yet to be passed by Congress. The current bill has already expired (expired Sept 30th) and the proposed bills may not provide enough support for WIC one of the most important food assistance programs funded under the "farm bill." 

The House version of the bill, known as the House Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, passed in the House on July 16th, 2012. This bill includes cuts in funding for WIC which "would force the program to turn away more than 700,000 eligible low-income women and young children." 

The Senate version of the bill, known as the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012, provides more funding for WIC than the House bill but it may not be enough. If food costs and participation rates remain the same, then the Senate bill would be adequate to avoid turning away eligible participants. However, with the recent rise in food costs especially for milk (a staple food for WIC) this funding will not meet the needs of WIC participants. 

For more information follow the link below:

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3499