WIC Farmers Market Benefits Cut for 2026 - Local Response Underway
Proposed cuts threaten nutritional support for women and children.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, WA — Due to federal cuts, only 29 Jefferson County families will receive Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits, one of the programs that is supported by Women, Infants and Children (WIC) funding.
7% of local WIC families will receive summer farmers market benefits in 2026—a 61% reduction from previous years. In response, Jefferson County Farmers Market (JCFM) launched the Family VegRx program to fill the gap.
Proposed cuts on the horizon
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is proposing a budget that seeks to sharply reduce the fruit and vegetable benefit provided through the WIC program in 2027, a move that would affect millions of low-income families nationwide according to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).
The proposal directly contradicts a three-decade bipartisan commitment to fully fund WIC so that all eligible families receive their full food benefits.
Despite the administration’s stated goals of improving children’s health and lowering food costs, this cut would force families to spend more of their own limited incomes on fresh produce while depriving young children of essential nutrients during a critical developmental window.
Congress rejected this exact proposal on a bipartisan basis when it fully funded WIC for 2026, and the CBPP argues lawmakers should do the same for 2027.
The proposed cut would also undermine recent bipartisan policy action from 2021, which increased the fruit and vegetable benefit based on recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Research shows that WIC participants have been purchasing significantly more produce since that increase, yet even the current benefit level aims to provide only half of the recommended fruit and vegetable intake for children.
For Washington state, the impact would be substantial. According to the CBPP analysis, approximately 115,000 WIC participants across the state would have their fruit and vegetable benefits cut, leading to an annual reduction of nearly $29.5 million in federal nutrition funding coming into Washington.
That means local families, grocery stores and farmers markets that accept WIC would see a significant drop in produce purchases funded by the program. A breastfeeding parent in Seattle or Spokane would see their monthly fruit and vegetable benefit fall from $52 to $13, while a toddler in rural Walla Walla or suburban King County would drop from $26 to just $10 per month. The Washington State Department of Health has previously indicated it lacks the ability to backfill federal WIC funds, so these cuts would directly reduce what families receive unless Congress intervenes.
Because Congress has already rejected this proposal once on a bipartisan basis, advocates and state officials are urging Washington’s congressional delegation to do so again for the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill.
Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, along with the state’s U.S. Representatives, will have the opportunity to vote against including the cut in the final funding legislation. For the 115,000 Washington residents who rely on WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit, the outcome of that vote will determine whether they continue receiving the current level of produce assistance or face a drastic reduction that could make it far harder to put fresh fruits and vegetables on the table.
How to help
Donate $30 (or any amount) to provide a farmers market voucher for a local child or pregnant parent. JCFM will match every $30 donation, turning it into $60 for fresh produce at Port Townsend and Chimacum farmers markets. Annually, JCFM raises funds to support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) market match and the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program market match through individual donations, business sponsorships, our annual Farm-to-Table Benefit Dinner (Sunday, August 9, 2026), and small grants, including Give Jefferson.
Donate here
“Food prices are rising, and now families face even fewer fresh options,” said JCFM Executive Director Amanda Milholland. “This match program helps local kids, parents, and farms.”
JCFM Markets:
Port Townsend: Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Uptown)
Chimacum: Sundays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Port Townsend Wednesday Market: Opens June 3, 3-6 p.m.
Contact: Amanda Milholland, info@jcfmarkets.org,
360-379-9098
