(CNN) — The Trump administration said Tuesday it will use tariff funds to keep afloat a federal food assistance program for nearly 7 million pregnant women, new moms and young children during the government shutdown .

The program, known as WIC, was expected to run out of money soon because Congress has yet to approve a federal spending package for fiscal year 2026, which started on October 1. The National WIC Association has predicted that the program’s funding would last only a week or two into the shutdown.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the tariff idea in a post on X .

“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,” she wro

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