As lawmakers put the finishing touches on the state budget, we urge them to include $30 million in additional funding for WIC.
“I was afraid of having a child because of the financial responsibilities…I took maternity leave, and the number one thing that I recognized to be a consistent problem is food—always figuring out what to do, how can we feed her? [Now with WIC] it’s just a lot more enjoyable having access [to fresh fruits and vegetables].” – United for Brownsville Parent
Few public health programs have earned their place the way WIC has. Decades of research, billions of dollars in documented savings, and generations of healthier children make the case plainly: WIC works. As federal support for families erodes—with cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other safety net programs—New York’s WIC program stands out as exactly the kind of investment the state should be doubling down on: proven, cost-effective, and life-changing for the families it serves. But WIC is at a breaking point, and without action in this year’s budget, the progress New York has worked hard to achieve is at risk.
The Nation’s Original “Food Is Medicine” Program
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has delivered one of public health’s best track records for more than five decades. WIC provides pregnant and postpartum parents and children under five with tailored nutrition packages, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and connections to health and social services.
The evidence is overwhelming. WIC improves birth outcomes, reduces infant mortality, prevents childhood obesity, and closes disparities in infant health. Every dollar invested generates an estimated $2.48 in savings through lower medical costs and better long-term outcomes. Last year, WIC-prescribed purchases brought back $540 million federal dollars into New York’s local economies.
For families who rely on it, the impact is deeply personal. As one mother shared, “My children wouldn’t be eating healthy food if it weren’t for my education and assistance from the WIC program. I am a young mom who had lots of questions over the years, I was always treated very well by people who genuinely cared and wanted to help.”
New York Is Leading
New York deserves credit for its commitment to WIC. More than 462,000 New Yorkers now participate—the highest level in a decade and a 28% increase since early 2020, compared to 10% growth nationally. That expansion came from evidence-based policy: increasing the fruit and vegetable benefit, allowing remote appointments, and investing in strategic statewide outreach.
But local WIC agencies have not seen meaningful funding increases in a decade. The federal formula hasn’t kept pace with New York’s rising caseloads or costs. The funding system was designed to support 443,000 participants through 2028; caseloads surpassed that in early 2024. Since 2022, the ratio of participants to qualified nutritionists has grown 24%—now sitting at 656 to one.
WIC at its best means a nutritionist with time to sit with new parents, food packages tailored to a family’s needs, and agencies equipped to reach the families not yet enrolled. That is what adequate funding makes possible—and what New York’s agencies are straining to deliver as caseloads grow and resources lag.
The Cliff Is Coming
Federal waivers allowing remote WIC appointments—a key driver of New York’s enrollment growth—expire at the end of this fiscal year, adding new strain to already-stretched agencies. Without additional state funding, those agencies will face an impossible choice: scale back services, delay time-sensitive appointments, or maintain waiting lists. Every option puts agencies out of compliance with WIC policy—and means families that could have been served, weren’t. An estimated 200,000 eligible New Yorkers aren’t yet enrolled. With federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid deepening hardship, WIC has never been a more essential backstop.
Albany Can Fund What Works
The solution is clear: $30 million in additional state funding for WIC in the FY 2026–2027 budget—to stabilize local agency operations and support outreach to connect those 200,000 still-eligible New Yorkers to the program.
Thirty million dollars is a fraction of what WIC returns—in healthier babies, stronger families, lower healthcare costs, and more resilient local economies. In a budget season defined by difficult tradeoffs, this is one of New York’s clearest bets.
New York should be proud to lead the nation in growth in WIC participation. Now it must lead by making that growth sustainable. We urge Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature to include $30 million for WIC in the final FY 2026–2027 budget—because the perinatal, postpartum, and pediatric patients who depend on this public health nutrition program cannot wait, and because investing in their earliest years is one of the best things New York can do for all of us.
Authored by the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, Hunger Solutions New York, United for Brownsville, WIC Association of New York State, Community Health Care Association of New York State, New York State Public Health Association, and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.
