WASHINGTON — Legislation Congress approved to avoid government shutdown before lawmakers left town for their Thanksgiving break fails to provide extra money advocates say is needed for a key nutrition program.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant women, new mothers and infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.
WIC has usually had bipartisan support. But that is coming undone as some House Republicans seek cuts to many programs, which they say are needed to address the nation’s mounting debt. Yet WIC advocates say there’s a growing need for the program because of the end of pandemic-era nutrition programs and inflation.
The short-term spending bills – known as continuing resolutions – that averted a shutdown kept most programs funded at last year’s levels.
So, advocates and state-based WIC administrators are concerned they may have to reject people who need WIC.
Politico reported that Democrats are trying to secure an agreement to increase WIC funding in the lead-up to the Jan. 19 government funding deadline for food and agriculture programs. But their success is not guaranteed.
Without congressional action, Minnesota WIC director Kate Franken told Politico that states will be forced to add families to wait lists for the first time in nearly 30 years.
“If WIC funding is not adequate, and funds are cut, our families and our communities would suffer the consequences,” Franken said.
Franken couldn’t be reached, but the Minnesota Department of Health told MinnPost WIC serves about 106,000 Minnesotans every month, including nearly 40% of the babies born in the state.
“(The Minnesota Department of Health) is currently managing with the continuing resolutions but is still hoping for full funding for the full year when an appropriation is approved,” the department said in a statement. “If the appropriation isn’t at full funding, the department would have to do calculations based on participation level at that time, food costs, and other factors to determine next steps.”
Phillips to decide whether he’ll leave Congress
Rep. Dean Phillips told Axios Tuesday he will decide over the long Thanksgiving weekend whether he will seek reelection to his House seat. That same day, a group allied with his presidential campaign began airing its first attack ads targeting President Biden.
The spots, which are running in New Hampshire and the Washington, D.C., area feature burning dynamite fuses and newspaper headlines of polls that show Biden trailing Donald Trump.
The ads were produced by Pass the Torch, a new pro-Phillips group formed with the help of Steve Schmidt, who was formerly a top adviser to former Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign.
Meanwhile, two Democrats – Ron Harris and state Sen. Kelly Morrison – have already filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for Phillips’ 3rd District congressional seat. Other Democrats, including Secretary of State Steve Simon, could enter the race if Phillips decides against running for reelection.
Phillips’s presidential campaign has hit some speed bumps.
He angered several Democrats this week, including Sen. Tina Smith and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, by saying in an interview with the Atlantic that others have told him Vice President Kamala Harris is not ready or right for the job of being president.
“I hear from others who know her a lot better than I do that many think she’s not well positioned,” Phillips told the Atlantic. “She is not well prepared, doesn’t have the right disposition and the right competencies to execute that office.”
Smith reacted to Phillips’s comments in a post on X.
“Actually, I know the Vice President well and know her to be exceptional,” Smith said. “Always prepared. Strong. Deeply knowledgeable. Brings diverse perspectives to decisions. … and loyal.”
Meanwhile, Flanagan posted on X: “District Attorney. State Attorney General. U.S. Senator. Vice President. Her resume is as qualified as it gets, Congressman.”
Phillips later tried to explain his comments, but the damage was done.
Phillips has also been campaigning in the early primary state of South Carolina this week, a Biden stronghold.
Earlier this month in an X post, Phillips introduced himself to South Carolina’s Democratic voters:
“Hello, ya’ll. Can’t wait to meet you, listen to you and answer your questions. If you’re a South Carolinian who’s ready for change, I’d love to hear from you.”
Someone was quick to point out that Phillips had made a misspelling that could irritate Southerners. Y’all is a contraction of “you” and “all” and should not be spelled “ya’ll.”
Your questions and comments
A reader this week asked me why Rep. Brad Finstad, R-1st District, who represents a rural, southern Minnesota district, recently voted against a short-term spending bill that kept the federal government from shutting down and also extended the farm bill for another year. The extension of the 2018 farm bill gives farmers some certainty going into next year’s planting season and prevents some U.S. Department of Agriculture programs, including an important dairy program, from expiring. Farm groups said they were relieved by the extension but hope Congress manages to pass a new 5-year farm bill next year.
Another reader wrote:
“Rep. Michelle Fishbach represents farm country, yet she voted against the resolution even though it continued the current farm law and even provided more funds for some programs… But I wonder what has been the reaction among farmers, local newspapers in her district?”
The short, and perhaps not completely satisfying, answer is that Finstad, in a fundraising appeal, said he voted against the short-term spending bill because “the simple fact is, we can’t keep going down the path of reckless spending in Washington.”
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!,” Finstad’s appeal said. “To avoid a catastrophe, we need to get the budget under control ASAP, and I will fight for fiscal sanity every day.”
Fischbach is also allied with U.S. House conservatives who object to short-term budget bill, which keeps some federal agencies funded until mid-January and the rest until early February. These lawmakers prefer Congress approve 12 individual spending bills to keep the federal government running instead – something that has been impossible to do because of differences over the federal budget between the GOP-controlled U.S. House and the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate.
The farm bill extension also keeps certain USDA “orphan programs” going, including some small conservation programs that aren’t part of the farm bill’s budget baseline. To secure the extra money to pay for these programs, the short-term spending bill taps $177 million from the federal biorefinery assistance program, which provides loan guarantees for advanced biofuel facilities.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
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