Trump Authorizes tariff Revenue to Fund WIC Amid Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON - President Trump has authorized the use of approximately $8.5 million in tariff revenue to fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for women, Infants and Children (WIC) as the partial government shutdown enters its second week, the White House confirmed to Fox News Digital. The move aims to prevent disruptions to the program, which provides nutritional assistance to millions of low-income families.
The funding transfer,first reported by Axios,offers a temporary solution to ensure WIC benefits continue uninterrupted while Congress remains deadlocked over border wall funding. Without the release of these funds, several states were at risk of halting WIC services as early as this week, potentially impacting roughly 9 million participants nationwide. The White House has not specified how long the tariff revenue will cover WIC funding or whether additional measures will be necessary if the shutdown persists.
“This is a temporary fix to protect vulnerable families during the lapse in appropriations,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “We continue to urge Congress to fulfill its constitutional duty and fully fund the government.”
WIC provides food, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age 5. The program is administered by state health departments and funded through a combination of federal grants and state funds.
The transfer of tariff revenue comes as the government shutdown, triggered by a dispute over $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-mexico border, continues to disrupt federal agencies and impact hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders have so far failed to produce a resolution.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
