WIC Program Swaps 'Drug Abuse' for 'Substance Use Disorder,' Authorizes $1M for Targeted Nutrition Support

The Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025 is tackling the WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) with a major modernization effort. Simply put, this bill cleans up outdated language and mandates better, more targeted support for families dealing with substance use disorder. It starts by systematically replacing the term “drug abuse” throughout the WIC statute with the medically accurate term “substance use disorder.” This might sound like a small vocabulary change, but it’s huge for reducing stigma and ensuring WIC services are delivered with a public health, rather than punitive, mindset.

The Shift from Stigma to Support

This isn’t just about changing a few words; it’s about changing how WIC operates. The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop specialized nutrition education materials and actively reach out to WIC-eligible individuals who may be dealing with a substance use disorder. Think of a pregnant person who needs WIC assistance but is worried about judgment—this bill aims to make sure the staff they interact with are trained and the materials they receive are unbiased and helpful, not shaming. Specifically, sections detailing "drug abuse education" now require "substance use disorder education," ensuring that WIC staff are equipped to handle these sensitive situations.

Specialized Advice for Vulnerable Families

The most practical change for families involves the creation of new, evidence-based nutrition education. The Secretary of Agriculture must coordinate closely with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create materials specifically for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorder, and for infants exposed to substances or dealing with neonatal abstinence syndrome. This means a new parent whose baby is struggling with withdrawal symptoms will receive targeted, expert advice on feeding and nutrition, linking this WIC provision directly to guidance from existing laws like the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.

Centralizing Resources for State Agencies

For the WIC administrators and nutritionists who staff local offices, the bill creates a centralized online clearinghouse. This digital hub will allow State WIC agencies to easily access all the new federal training and nutrition materials related to substance use disorder. This is a smart administrative move: instead of 50 states trying to figure out best practices independently, they all get the same high-quality, federally-vetted resources. To kick all these new programs off—the outreach, the material development, and the resource sharing—the bill authorizes $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. While that funding is only authorized for one year, it provides the necessary runway to build the infrastructure for these crucial support functions.