Human Rights Watch has reported that if the bill passed by the House of Representatives becomes law in its current form, there will be a significant reduction in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
According to the organization, fruit and vegetable support under WIC will be directly affected by the cuts, impacting 5.4 million women and children.
HRW Warns of Health Inequalities
Human Rights Watch emphasized that the planned $200 million cut to the WIC budget could further deepen the already severe racial health disparities in the United States.
The statement recalled that the maternal mortality rate among Black women is more than three times higher than that of white women, and the infant mortality rate for Black, Native American, and Alaska Native babies is nearly twice that of white infants.
Call to Senate to Reject Cuts
Human Rights Watch called on the Senate to reject the cuts in the bill. The organization argued that the reduction in food assistance would make low-income families even more vulnerable.