Florida Rep. Kathy Castor (D) issued a statement during an appearance on WFLA, the MSNBC affiliate news channel for the Tampa Bay area, where she accused the GOP of refusing to negotiate terms to reopen the government, which has led to cuts to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
“MYTH-BUSTERS: Republican Health Care Crisis Edition. For over 25 years, Congress fully funded nutrition, education, healthy foods, and healthcare for working-class pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children under the age of 5 - known as "WIC," Castor shared on X.
As the segment pointed out, the Florida Democrat "does not have a timeline for reopening the government." However, Anna Paulina Luna estimates "that the government will not reopen until, potentially, after Thanksgiving."
Meanwhile, Democrat lawmakers are pushing for a bill to remove expiration dates for Affordable Care Act subsidies, which Castor believes will help keep insurance premiums from increasing.
While Republicans argue that they want to pass a resolution to temporarily fund the government for a few weeks before deliberating on the proposed bill, Castor disagrees.
“Pass the CR and then discuss. We need to cancel the cuts immediately. Immediately. What's happening is that health insurance companies right now are finalizing their premiums. They're going to be online here in Florida by November 1st,” Castor argued.
Regarding other federal aid programs, USDA officials are already citing concerns about SNAP benefits for November, while the White House is using tariff dollars to fund the financially crippled WIC program.
