posted October 07, 2025 06:00 PM            

Trump taps tariff revenue to keep WIC nutrition program going during government shutdown

The White House announced a plan to use incoming revenue from President Donald Trump's tariffs to keep the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children operational during the government shutdown.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the "creative solution" on Tuesday afternoon in a post to X in response to an Axios report on the plan.

"The Democrats are so cruel in their continual votes to shut down the government that they forced the WIC program for the most vulnerable women and children to run out this week," Leavitt said in a statement. "Thankfully, President Trump and the White House have identified a creative solution to transfer resources from Section 232 tariff revenue to this critical program."

"The Trump White House will not allow impoverished mothers and their babies to go hungry because of the Democrats' political games," she continued.

White House officials warned even before last Tuesday, the first day of the government shutdown, that shuttering the government would negatively affect several social welfare programs favored by Democrats, WIC specifically.

Leavitt warned reporters at Monday's White House press briefing that the program "will run out of federal money very soon,” and that "it can be easily funded if the Democrats simply vote [Monday night] to reopen the government."

Tuesday's announcement comes just days after Trump floated using tariff revenue to construct a bailout for farmers struggling amid his trade wars.

"I'm going to do some farm stuff this week," Trump said Monday. His top aides suggested last week that the bailout, again pulling from Section 232 tariff revenue, would total some $50 billion.

White House officials did not answer questions on Tuesday about the size of the WIC package or whether this announcement would delay Trump's promised aid to American farmers.