The latest federal spending bill restored full funding for a program that offers food benefits to new mothers and babies.
Lawmakers allocated $7.03 billion to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which provides eligible families with nutritional supports and services.
Earlier this year, hunger relief advocates raised concerns over spending proposals that earmarked $6 billion for WIC, compared to the estimated $7 billion needed to fully fund the program through September.
"For a while things were looking to be quite concerning at the federal level as for the first time, in many decades, there were conversations on the table about not fully funding WIC," No Kid Hungry Florida Director Sky Beard said.
READ MORE: Florida hunger relief advocates flag insufficient WIC funding in federal spending plan
The potential $1 billion funding shortfall was anticipated to impact services for around two million eligible parents across the U.S., according to an analysis published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
In Florida, more than 400,000 pregnant women and new mothers are likely eligible for assistance, a number that has been steadily growing since 2020, according to WIC participation data.
Without full funding, Beard said that up to 126,000 eligible Florida families could have been waitlisted for WIC services this year. That's no longer an immediate concern, she said.
"We're so excited to know that we can all take a little bit of a breath and that families will get the services that they so need and deserve through this fiscal year," Beard said. "At the same time, we are keeping a close eye on the conversations that will be happening for the next set of appropriation bills for the next federal fiscal year."
Federal budget negotiations for fiscal year 2025 will begin in the fall.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
