Congressman Dan Goldman Fights to Increase Access to Food Assistance Programs for Women and Children

Nearly 11 Million Children Nationwide Face Food Insecurity

Access Barriers Prevent Nearly 50 Percent of Eligible Americans from Participating in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Six Million Eligible Low-Income Mothers and Children Not Receiving Food Assistance Due to Unnecessarily Burdensome Recertification Process

‘WIC For Kids Act’ Would Automatically Enroll Mothers and Kids in WIC if Their Household Participates in Other Critical Assistance Programs

Read the Bill Here

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined  Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) in introducing the ‘WIC For Kids Act’ to increase access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program under the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. The WIC For Kids Act would simplify the enrollment process for WIC by automatically granting WIC eligibility for mothers and children who reside in a household in which a member participates is other assistance programs such as SNAP or Medicaid.

Largely due to the current WIC enrollment process that requires multiple trips to the WIC clinic and often takes several days, only 50.2 percent of eligible Americans currently participate in the program. This low enrollment rate comes as nearly 15 percent of children currently live in a household experiencing food insecurity.

“Systemic barriers should never be the reason that eligible families are not accessing vital food assistance programs designed to keep kids fed,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “The early years of a child’s life are critical to their future success and ensuring that every child has access to nutritious food is one of the best investments we can make in our children’s futures. This bill is another significant step forward in our effort to realize a nation where no child goes hungry.”

WIC was created in 1972 with the leadership of New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to address the staggering numbers of low-income Americans suffering from malnutrition, specifically the unique nutritional needs of pregnant women and infants. However, according to data from USDA, 49.8 percent of eligible Americans do not participate in WIC, leaving 6 million low-income mothers and children without access to benefits.

Evidence suggests that low participation and retention rates can be attributed to WIC’s prolonged and cumbersome process of recertification, which includes income documentation with in-person verification such as pay stubs for the last 30 days, tax returns, income verification letters, utility bills, or rent receipts.

The WIC For Kids Act would simplify the enrollment process for WIC by automatically granting WIC eligibility for mothers and children who reside in a household in which a member participates in SNAP, participate in Children’s Health Insurance Program, participate in Head Start or reside in a household in which one or more children are enrolled in Head Start, reside in a household that participates in a Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or are members of a family of a pregnant woman, postpartum woman, infant, or child that receives medical assistance from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This automatic eligibility would allow for a one-minute enrollment process through adjunctive eligibility.

Congressman Goldman has made fighting for policies that uplift working families a priority during his first term in Congress.

Earlier this year, Congressman Goldman cosponsored the ‘Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act’ which included provisions to extend WIC eligibility during the postpartum period the breastfeeding periods. This extension intended to ensure that moms and newborns have their nutritional needs met, improving maternal and child health outcomes and advancing birth equity across the United States.

Additionally, the Congressman cosponsored the ‘SNAP Access for Medically Vulnerable Children Act’ to expand SNAP benefits for families with chronically sick children, helping to alleviate the tremendous emotional and financial burden of having a sick child.

Congressman Dan Goldman is a founding member of the Congressional Dads Caucus.

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