Stefanik and two Congressional colleagues present new proposal that would override Biden Administration revisions to WIC
WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and two of her Congressional colleagues, including Congressman Josh Harder (D-CA) and Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) introduced legislation this week, the Protecting Mothers and Infants' Access to Milk Act, to return the maximum monthly allowance of milk available for families, utilizing the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to previous levels.
In April, the USDA announced that the Biden Administration had finalized these WIC revisions, with aims of promoting nutrition security and maternal and child health, increasing flexibility for participants and follow the Administration’s successful efforts to fully fund WIC.
However, Stefanik criticized the move, claiming that the latest regulations in question substantially reduced the amount of milk available to WIC families. Weeks later, she stands firm with her original condemnation.
“I am proud to lead the bipartisan Protecting Mothers and Infants' Access to Milk Act to counter Joe Biden’s restrictions on WIC families’ access to nutritional milk and dairy products,” Stefanik said this week.
“Families are already struggling with skyrocketing prices at the grocery store, and this new rule would limit their access to healthy milk our dairy farmers in Upstate New York and the North Country work hard to provide for our communities.” Read Stefanik’s statement from April below:
“Joe Biden’s WIC restrictions will cause significant negative effects on the health of babies, mothers, and families participating in WIC to access nutritious milk products,” said Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “Families are already struggling with skyrocketing prices due to Bidenflation and the Biden Administration’s new rule would limit their access to the healthy milk products our dairy farmers in Upstate New York and the North Country work hard to provide to our communities. I will continue to work to ensure our new mothers and developing children have access to nutrient rich milk.”
According to previous reports this spring, these new WIC rules will provide $26 per-month food vouchers for children ages 1-4; $47 per-month for pregnant and postpartum women and $52 per-month for breastfeeding women.
With that said, the changes also expand access to whole grains, while in the meantime removing or reducing monthly allowances for juice and cutting back on allowances for milk.
“The Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, representing over 800 dairy farm families in New York and New England, who have a century-plus legacy of commitment to providing fresh, high-quality milk and award-winning dairy products, applaud Rep. Stefanik’s prodigious work on behalf of our producers and industry in authoring timely legislation to expand and increase the utilization of milk in the vital Women, Infants, Children (WIC) program,” said the Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives.
Elise Stefanik image.
