Click to expand Image A woman and her daughter in Revere, Massachusetts, US, December 11, 2020. © 2020 Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images On June 4, the United States House of Representatives passed the 2027 agriculture appropriations bill. If enacted in its current state, the bill would cut US$200 million from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) compared to 2026. The reduction would hit fruit and vegetable benefits for 5.4 million pregnant and postpartum women and young children, disproportionately affecting low-income families relying on the WIC for healthy options amid rising food prices. The proposed cuts would end virtual WIC services, making the program less accessible, and sharply reduce monthly fruit and vegetable benefits for young children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. For rural families in areas where virtual services are critical, food is costlier, and healthy options are more limited, these changes could hit especially hard.For more than 30 years, the WIC has enjoyed bipartisan support in the US because of its well‑documented effectiveness. A 2026 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found the WIC improves nutrition, child development, and health outcomes, reduces household food insecurity, and narrows racial disparities in birth outcomes. It also found women enrolled in the program are more likely to give birth to healthier babies, underscoring its role in maternal and infant health.Yet this bill marks the second consecutive year the House has advanced WIC cuts aligned with the Trump administration’s budget despite the administration’s stated goals of improving maternal and child health and reducing incidence of chronic disease during childhood. These cuts risk deepening racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant health. Black women in the US face maternal mortality rates over three times higher than white women, while Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native infants die at double the rate of white infants. The WIC helps close these gaps by improving access to nutritious food and supporting healthy pregnancies.If the Trump administration is serious about improving maternal and child health, it should strengthen, not weaken, essential nutrition programs. With maternal health disparities and food insecurity on the rise, reducing support for a proven program risks undoing decades of progress and placing greater strain on low-income families.As the bill moves forward, the Senate should reject these cuts and protect WIC’s essential role in supporting maternal and child health.