The U.S. wants healthier children. So why is it scaling back its nutrition programs?

November 14, 2025

The Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , aims to improve children's health by reforming food systems, yet recent policy decisions appear contradictory to these stated goals.

Who is affected

6 million pregnant and postpartum people and their children under age 5 who use WIC
42 million low-income people enrolled in SNAP (39 percent of them children)
3.3 million families with children who will lose some or all SNAP benefits
1.4 million people who will be kicked off SNAP due to expanded work requirement changes
Low-income families of color who face health and food access disparities
People caring for children ages 14-17 who no longer qualify for SNAP work requirement exemptions
Low-income single mothers served by organizations like the Jeremiah Project

What action is being taken

Congress passed the Big Beautiful Bill, slashing SNAP's budget by about 30 percent
The administration is reducing SNAP benefits that families are currently receiving
Work requirement exemptions for SNAP are being limited (previously for those caring for children under 18, now only under 14)
The USDA stopped issuing its annual report on food insecurity (announced in September)
The federal government refused to draw on contingency funds to ensure SNAP benefits didn't lapse during the shutdown
MAHA Mom Coalition is conducting listening sessions at WIC offices and community clinics

Why it matters

This matters because it reveals a fundamental contradiction between stated public health goals and actual policy implementation that affects millions of vulnerable children and families. Research consistently shows that WIC and SNAP improve health outcomes for low-income children, reduce childhood obesity, increase access to preventive healthcare, and help families afford nutritious food. Cutting these programs undermines efforts to address childhood health crises and chronic disease epidemics—the very issues MAHA claims to prioritize. The decisions disproportionately harm low-income families of color who already face health disparities, and they ignore expert consensus that social and economic factors, not individual food choices alone, drive health outcomes. The cuts make it harder for families to afford any food, let alone healthy options, during a time when the administration claims to be focused on improving children's nutrition and wellbeing.

What's next

The White House's proposal would reduce WIC fruit and vegetable benefits to $9 for children and $13 for breastfeeding parents (reverting to lowest levels since 2021)
The Trump administration is considering a proposal for "MAHA boxes" that would send boxes of "whole, healthy food" to SNAP participants, though logistics and whether this would supplement or replace existing benefits remain unclear
Final decisions on WIC funding are pending
Families are currently navigating the holiday season with reduced SNAP benefits already in effect

Read full article from source: The 19th