Politico is reporting that President Trump a quarter billion in tariff revenues to protect poor people from the Chuck Schumer government shutdown.
They note that Trump is using $450 million in tariff revenue for the WIC program (Women, Infants, Children), and it’s not the first time he’s done it. Last month he used $350 million in tariff monies for the same program.
Here’s the news:
The Trump administration quietly readied $450 million on Friday to fund a nutrition program for low-income mothers and infants as the government shutdown drags on, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Officials pulled the extra money from a fund of unused tariff revenue for USDA child nutrition programs just before the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children was set to run out of money Nov. 1. It’s the second time the administration has tapped the Section 32 fund to keep those benefits afloat, after announcing a $300 million emergency cash infusion last month.
USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new funds are estimated to last between two to three weeks, but may run out more quickly due to growing caseloads and other factors. The $300 million the Trump administration previously sent states supported the program for roughly two weeks.
“We really don’t know how long this will last,” said Ali Hard, policy director for the National WIC Association, which represents WIC providers. “Every state is in a slightly different situation. While $150 million is an average of weekly programs costs, the reality is that costs vary significantly by state and by week within the month.”
Separately, the Trump administration agreed Monday to use a USDA contingency fund to partially pay for the nation’s largest anti-hunger initiative, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in response to a judge’s order, after benefits lapsed for the first time in history over the weekend.
But in the same filing, officials said they wouldn’t tap Section 32 tariff money — like they’re doing for WIC — to help fully fund SNAP benefits “due to the significant differences between the amounts at issue.”
He said the other day it would be his honor to fund SNAP using court-ordered emergency funds, and this proves that he meant every word of it.