On March 8, Congress averted a partial government shutdown. Until then, the government was operating under a two-tiered continuing resolution.
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill was among the six-bill package that was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. The passed legislation fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)—which serves nearly 7 million women and kids nationwide—by providing $7.03 billion for the program, a $1.03 billion increase over Fiscal Year 2023. This increase ensures that all eligible participants can continue to rely on the essential nutrition assistance and support provided by WIC. The legislation also continues full funding for additional fruit and vegetable benefits.
Additional noteworthy boosts to family and child nutrition in the package of spending bills include:
- SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been fully funded to serve an estimated 42 million people per month—and does not include any new restrictions on eligibility.
- Child Nutrition: Child Nutrition Programs—like the School Lunch program, school breakfast program, and Summer EBT program—are fully funded to ensure schools can continue to serve healthy meals to all eligible children. In 2024, this funding will help serve an estimated 5 billion lunches and 2.6 billion breakfasts to kids across the country.
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) continues to lead partners and collaborate with Congressional champions to secure robust funding for maternal and child health programs in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 24). The remaining six appropriations bills for FY 24, including funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, must be approved by March 22 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
To stay up-to-date on and get involved in AMCHP’s appropriations efforts:
- Check out our Government Affairs webpage for our FY24 appropriations work to date;
- Register for the AMCHP Policy & Partnership Town Hall Series, which occurs on the second Thursday of every month at 2 PM ET; and
- Sign up for AMCHP Legislative Alerts and Policy Digest, and share the subscribe link with your peers.
As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team: Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org) and Amani Echols (aechols@amchp.org).
