This article was originally published by Healthbeat, a nonprofit newsroom covering public health published by Civic News Company and KFF Health News.
The WIC program, which has provided healthy food, health care referrals and breastfeeding support for women, infants and young children for more than 50 years – historically receiving strong bipartisan support – came out of the fall federal government shutdown intact for another year. But New York City public health experts fear that President Donald Trump’s looming transformation of public assistance will have ripple effects that will still hamper WIC access.
“We are headed toward a very uncertain future,” said Jack Newton, who directs the Public Benefits Unit in the Bronx office of Legal Services New York, helping people obtain and retain public benefits. “The next two years will be a sea change among low-income New Yorkers, who will find a dramatic change for nutrition assistance and health care.”…