Michigan Families for Fair Care hosted emergency supply drives today in Lansing and Warren to support families whose access to critical nutrition assistance is threatened by the Republican federal government shutdown. WIC, a program that supplies healthy food and formula for pregnant women, new mothers, and their young children, could be the first major government benefit to be compromised by the current shutdown. This is a direct result of Congressman Tom Barrett, Congressman John James, and Republicans in Congress choosing to ignore the urgent need to lower healthcare costs.
"I work directly with families that use nutritional assistance programs. I see every day how a family of four needs to stretch every dollar.” said Stephanie Ruble, a Warren resident and Feeding America volunteer. “When WIC runs out of funding, the children in our community don't have backup plans – they shouldn’t have to. Food banks are already stretched thin, and this shutdown is not helping our community. Congressman James should support plans to lower healthcare and food costs for families and reopen the government."
The emergency comes as both Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) and Congressman John James (MI-10) voted earlier this year for the Republican Tax Law that enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history, prioritizing permanent tax breaks for billionaires over nutrition assistance for working families. Now, both congressmen's complicity in forcing a government shutdown over demands for additional healthcare cuts has left Michigan's most vulnerable to face the prospect of losing access to basic food assistance as they figure out piling expenses. The result is that programs like WIC—which serves approximately 200,000 people in Michigan—are now at risk of running out of funds, leaving families scrambling to figure out how to feed their babies and young children.
"These aren't statistics on a budget spreadsheet—these are mothers wondering how they'll afford formula for their babies, pregnant women skipping meals to make their food last longer, and families rationing peanut butter and cereal because they don't know when help is coming,” said food drive volunteer and MI-07 constituent Marna Wilson. “Congressman Barrett and Congressman James voted to cut healthcare for working families to pay for tax breaks for billionaires, and now they've shut down the government and refuse to act on skyrocketing premiums. Meanwhile, the families they represent are left wondering where their next meal will come from. Our community shouldn't have to hold emergency food drives because our congressmen chose billionaires over babies."
