[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 59 (Thursday, May 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2355-H2356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE FACTS ABOUT THE WIC PROGRAM

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Georgia said earlier let 
us talk about the facts of WIC. Here are the facts about the Women, 
Infant and Children Program.
  It feeds women, infants, and children. It provides necessary and 
critical prenatal services to pregnant women in our country. Fact: It 
works. It has in the past been a bipartisan effort, and the General 
Accounting Office of this Government has said for every $1 invested in 
the WIC Program we save $3\1/2\ in other kinds of expenses. Fact: There 
is a $76 million shortfall in the program, meaning that we will not be 
able to provide for 360,000 women, infants, and children. Fact: The 
congressional majority, the Republicans in this body, voted to cut, 
voted only to provide $38 million for this program, thereby leaving it 
$38 million short. Fact is that 180,000 women and children will be 
removed from the WIC Program if this current bill passes.
  This is about our values and our priorities in this country. We 
should not be passing legislation that denies food, breakfast cereal, 
formula, to women, infants, and children in this country.

[[Page H2356]]

That is not what this great Nation is about. The fact is we ought to 
make sure that we have $76 million to continue this working program.

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