President Harry Truman was right when he said “No nation is any healthier than its children.” Congress needs to live up to this standard by fully funding the WIC program that feeds low income mothers and infants throughout America.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supports the most vulnerable of our society. According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) “WIC saves lives and improves the health of nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children.” Around 6.7 million benefit from the program.

But right now there is not enough funding being provided by Congress for the WIC program. Congress needs to act to fully fund WIC by the Jan. 19 deadline for passing a spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.

The USDA warns “It is critical that Congress provide additional funding for WIC in the January appropriation. The longer Congress puts off fully funding WIC, the greater the risk to mothers, babies, and children seeking nutrition and health support from the program.”

Demand for WIC has increased and Congress needs to increase the funding as well. WIC needs about a billion dollars more from Congress this fiscal year, which is a relatively small amount when compared to the annual spending on nuclear weapons.

If Congress fails to fund WIC it will mean that mothers and infants living in poverty will lose access to the help they desperately need.

According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) “This would result in an unfortunate disruption of services and long waiting lists, leaving more women, infants, and young children hungry and unable to access other critical WIC services.”

We need to make sure that all mothers, infants and children are cared for. WIC ensures this by helping those in need with nutrition and health care support.

The Biden administration is encouraging Congress to fully fund WIC. President Biden’s domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden cited the example of a WIC recipient in Brooklyn named Sarah who received life-saving help after giving birth to her daughter in 2018.

“Thanks to WIC, she could afford fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and other staples” explained Tanden.

Nutrition for infants for the first 1,000 days are absolutely critical because without it they could suffer many ill health consequences. Impoverished families need help to provide nutrition for infants and children and that is why WIC is so vital.

WIC has been around since the 1970s. One of the senators who got WIC started, George McGovern, wrote “The program has been a dramatic success in the United States, significantly improving the health and well-being of millions of young mothers and their children.” McGovern, along with Senator Bob Dole, were among the leaders in getting WIC started showing how it had bipartisan support in Congress.

WIC is an investment in America’s children and families that brings positive health results. Congress should make child nutrition a priority and fully fund WIC. Through WIC we can ensure that all our infants, children and mothers have the food and help they need to live.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.”