(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Congressman Jamie Raskin today joined Vice Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee Andy Levin, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, and 95 House Members in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive certain restrictions on the use of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) funds during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I’m happy to partner with champion of the WIC program Congresswoman Gwen Moore in the effort to urge the Administration to minimize risk to recipients by allowing the use of WIC for purchases made online and over-the-phone,” Rep. Levin said. “As all Americans do their part to maintain social distancing and limit in-person transactions, we should enable WIC recipients to protect themselves and others by waving these restrictions.”
“As a long time advocate for the WIC program, I'm so pleased to work with Rep. Levin and my colleagues to push for the federal government to permit online or phone purchases for WIC recipients, which will lessen the burden on mothers and children and help keep them safe,” Congresswoman Moore said. “This is just one of many commonsense improvements that I believe we need to make this program work better during these trying times.
“As we adapt to living during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's critical that we continue finding ways for our most vulnerable to easily access the resources they need."
Additional signers of the letter include:
Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12); Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44); Joyce Beatty (OH-03); Earl Blumenauer (OR-03); Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL); Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01); Anthony G. Brown (MD-04); Tony Cárdenas (CA-29); André Carson (IN-07); Ed Case (HI-01); Joaquin Castro (TX-20); David N. Ciclline (RI-01); Steve Cohen (TN-09); TJ Cox (CA-21); Angie Craig (MN-02); Henry Cuellar (TX-28); Danny K. Davis (IL-07); Diana DeGette (CO-01); Suzan DelBene (WA-01); Val B. Demings (FL-10); Ted Deutch (FL-22); Debbie Dingell (MI-12); Eliot L. Engel (NY-16); Andriano Espaillat (NY-13); Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01); Bill Foster (IL-11); Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11); Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29); Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04); Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15); Jenniffer González-Colón (PR-00); Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03); Deb Haaland (NM-01); Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20); Jahana Hayes (CT-05); Kendra S. Horn (OK-05); Shelia Jackson Lee (TX-18); Pramila Jayapal (WA-07); Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08); Bill Keating (MA-09); Joseph P. Kennedy, III (MA-04); Derek Kilmer (WA-06); Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08); Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02); Brenda L. Lawrence (MI 14); Barbara Lee (CA-13); Alan Lowenthal (CA 47); Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08); Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12); Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS-01); Betty McCollum (MN-04); A. Donald McEachin (VA-04); James P. McGovern (MA-02); Jerry McNerney (CA-09); Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05); Grace Meng (NY 06); Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26); Jerrold Nadler (NY-10); Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32); Joe Neguse (CO-02); Donald Norcross (NJ-01 ); Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC - 00); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14); Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06); Jimmy Panetta (CA-20); Ed Perlmutter (CO-07); Cedric L. Richmond (LA-02); Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40); C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02); Bobby L. Rush (IL-01); Tim Ryan (OH-13); Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38); Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05 ); Jan Schakowsky (IL-09); Donna E. Shalala (FY-27); Ted W. Lieu (CA-33); Albio Sires (NJ08); Elissa Slotkin (MI-08); Adam Smith (WA-09); Darren Soto (FL-09); Jackie Speier (CA-14); Eric Swalwell (CA-15); Mark Takano (CA-41); Bennie Thompson (MS-02); Dina Titus (NV-01); Rashida Tlaib (MI-13); David Trone (MD-06); Lauren Underwood (IL-14); Juan Vargas (CA-51); Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07); Peter Welch (VT-At Large) and John Yarmuth (KY-03).
Read the text of the letter here.
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