The White House did not respond to questions from Civil Eats. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers WIC, did not answer specific questions on the details of the funding and instead emailed a statement that said it “will utilize tariff revenue to fund WIC for the foreseeable future.”

Revenue from tariffs already funds a USDA account called Section 32 that is used for bulk purchases of commodities for school meal programs, and that revenue has increased significantly since President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs began this year. Trump was expected this week to announce tariff-derived bailout money for farmers hurt by tariffs, but that was reportedly delayed due to the shutdown.

WIC has long had bipartisan support. The Senate version of an appropriations bill, which failed to pass before the end of September, fully funded the program. In the House version, Republican lawmakers included cuts to fruit and vegetable vouchers, a reduction in funding that was in line with Trump’s June budget request. “WIC needs full-year funding, not just temporary lifelines,” Machell said. (Link to this post.)