White House to Fund Aid Program for Low-Income Mothers and Children With Tariff Revenue

The White House said on Tuesday it will use tariff revenue to keep a program that provides nutritional assistance to low-income women and children running during the current government shutdown.

The Details: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) aids nearly 7 million pregnant women, mothers, and young children. The program provides recipients with vouchers for healthy food, nutritional education, and breastfeeding assistance. It was expected to run out of funding in the coming days, since Congress has not approved a funding package for the fiscal year 2026 yet.

For Context: The Treasury reported $190 billion in total tariff revenue this year, including $31.7 billion last month. WIC cost the government over $7 billion in fiscal year 2024. On September 26, a “senior White House official” told RealClearPolitics (Lean Right bias) WIC funding would run out in October.

Key Quotes: White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “The Trump White House will not allow impoverished mothers and their babies to go hungry because of the Democrats’ political games.” National WIC Association CEO Georgia Machell said, “Families need long-term stability, not short-term uncertainty. We still don’t know how much funding this measure provides, how quickly states will receive it, or how long it will sustain operations.”

How The Media Covered It: The news was first reported by Axios (Lean Left), which attributed the scoop to a “senior White House official” who “declined to say how much money was being sent.” The Hill (Center) noted “it was not immediately clear how much money” would be allocated. The Washington Times (Lean Right) published a short piece of coverage heavily centered around Leavitt’s comments and noted that she didn’t say how much money would be sent either. CNN (Lean Left) highlighted a perspective from a “budget expert” who “questioned the legality” of the move.

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