The White House’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget would sharply reduce the WIC program’s monthly cash-value benefit for fruits and vegetables, potentially stripping roughly $1.4 billion from the program and cutting allowances for millions of parents and young children. Advocates warn the rollback would undo gains from the 2024 WIC food-package update and make fresh produce tougher to afford for low-income families.
How many families are on the line
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the administration's fiscal 2027 budget would reduce fruit-and-vegetable allotments in a way that would remove about $1.4 billion a year and affect roughly 5.4 million parents and children. The analysis finds the cuts would amount to reductions of roughly 62% to 75% from current levels, depending on the participant category.
How deep would monthly benefits fall?
Under the proposal, monthly cash-value benefits for toddlers and preschoolers would fall from about $26 to $10. Benefits for pregnant and non-breastfeeding postpartum mothers would drop from roughly $47 to $13, and breastfeeding mothers’ allotments would shrink from about $52 to $13. Hunger and nutrition groups argue these numbers would push benefit levels back toward pre-pandemic amounts and leave families far short of recommended fruit-and-vegetable servings.
Advocates warn cuts would reverse progress
Georgia Machell, president and CEO of the National WIC Association, said in a statement posted by the National WIC Association that the proposed changes would reverse measurable gains for kids on WIC. "Young children now consume an additional quarter cup of fruits and vegetables per day," Machell said, and "the proposed cuts would reduce benefits to levels that would meet just 19% of the recommended intake for children and 12% for breastfeeding mothers."
The policy backdrop
The increased cash-value benefit was finalized by USDA as part of a science-driven update to the WIC food package in 2024, a move intended to bring allowances closer to nutrition recommendations and expand access to fresh produce. USDA and public-health groups said the higher CVB was designed to cover roughly half of the Dietary Guidelines’ recommended fruit-and-vegetable intake for mothers and young children.
What happens next
Congress controls final funding for WIC and will decide whether to accept, modify or reject the White House’s priorities when it writes appropriations for FY 2027. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that Congress rejected a similar rollback in the recent appropriations process, and advocates are urging lawmakers to preserve the current benefit levels again.
Trade and news outlets have already amplified the reporting; agricultural site FreshPlaza republished coverage that credited Scripps News with initial reporting. Nutrition and anti-hunger groups say they will press members of Congress to hold benefits steady as lawmakers weigh the broader package of proposed non-defense cuts.
