The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental nutrition-rich foods and nutrition education (including breastfeeding promotion and support), as well as referrals to health care and social services, to low-income, nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and children up to five years old. Eligible women are specifically limited to those pregnant and postpartum (if breastfeeding, women are eligible for more benefits for a longer period of time). The WIC program seeks to improve the health status of its participants and prevent the occurrence of health problems during critical times of growth and development. WIC is a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS). In FY2016, approximately 7.7 million people participated in WIC each month in programs run by 90 state agencies (50 states, District of Columbia, 5 U.S. territories, and 34 Indian Tribal Organizations). USDA has said roughly half of all infants in the United States participate in the WIC program. This report provides an overview of the WIC program, including administration, funding, eligibility, benefits, benefits redemption, and cost containment policies. While this report is meant to be a primer and is not focused on tracking major policy issues, it may be useful for the reader to note that this report does discuss features of the WIC program that are often the topic of policy debate: funding, eligible foods, and the redemption of benefits. The WIC program dates back to a 1972 amendment to the Child Nutrition Act, which created WIC as a two-year pilot program. WIC became a permanent program in 1975 and remains authorized by Section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act (codified at 42 U.S.C. 1786). Congressional jurisdiction over this law has typically been exercised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Congress periodically reviews and reauthorizes expiring authorities under the Child Nutrition Act, generally in conjunction with the "Child Nutrition Programs," which are authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, and the Child Nutrition Act. WIC and the Child Nutrition Programs were most recently reauthorized in 2010 through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA, P.L. 111-296 ), and those authorities that expire do so after September 30, 2015 (the end of FY2015). During the 114 th Congress, committees of jurisdiction marked up bills to reauthorize WIC but reauthorization was not completed. As of the date of this report, no bills to reauthorize WIC have been introduced or marked up in the 115 th Congress. The WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP) is closely related to WIC and also authorized within Section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act (Section 17(m)). This program, which serves much of WIC's population, is also typically reauthorized during the reauthorization of WIC and the Child Nutrition Program. This report discusses WIC and not WIC FMNP; however, a brief overview of that program is provided in Appendix C . For information on WIC reauthorization laws, see the following: CRS In Focus IF10266, An Introduction to Child Nutrition Reauthorization CRS Report R44373, Tracking the Next Child Nutrition Reauthorization: An Overview CRS Report R41354, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization: P.L. 111-296 . WIC operates through a federal, state, and local partnership. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) administers the WIC program at the federal level. USDA-FNS provides cash grants for foods and "Nutrition Services and Administration" to 90 state agencies (50 states, District of Columbia, 5 U.S. territories, and 34 Indian Tribal Organizations), which operate the program through local WIC agencies and clinics. At the federal level, USDA-FNS is responsible for issuing and enforcing regulations, providing technical assistance to state agencies, and conducting studies and producing reports to evaluate the WIC program. At the state level, state agencies are generally responsible for program operations within their jurisdictions. States provide subgrants and technical assistance to local WIC agencies. Federal law and regulations allow states some flexibility in program operations, including options for food delivery systems and benefit redemption systems. States also have discretion in deciding the specific brands, types, and package sizes to include in their approved WIC food packages, within the bounds of federal regulations. At the local level, local WIC agencies—generally state and county health departments—provide WIC services and benefits directly or through local service sites and clinics. As of February 2015, there are approximately 1,900 local WIC agencies operating the program in approximately 10,000 local service sites or clinics. Funding for WIC food and services is primarily provided by the federal government; though some states supplement their programs with their own funding, WIC law does not require matching funds. WIC's funding is categorized as discretionary with funding amounts determined entirely through the annual appropriations process. Since the late 1990s, the appropriations committees' practice has been to provide enough funds for WIC to serve all eligible applicants who seek program benefits (i.e., all forecasted participants). Lower levels of funding for the WIC program could reduce the number of pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children served. The WIC program is typically funded through the annual Agriculture and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Funds are available for two years (e.g., FY2015 appropriations are available for obligation through FY2016). Table 1 displays the funding provided for the WIC account in recent years' appropriations laws. The majority of WIC's funding is distributed by USDA-FNS to states based upon allocation formulas described in federal regulations. The formulas used to allocate federal funds—both money from the annual appropriation and any unused money recovered and reallocated—are designed to (1) guarantee states enough money to maintain their previous year's operating level and caseload (with adjustments for inflation), and (2) distribute any extra dollars to grantees receiving comparatively less than their "fair share" of funds (based on their income-eligible WIC population and amount estimated as needed to serve their projected participation level). As needed and authorized, USDA-FNS may reallocate funding throughout the year. State-by-state allocation amounts for recent and past years can be found at USDA-FNS's website. In addition to the appropriated funding provided for the current fiscal year, WIC may carry over funds remaining from the prior year's appropriation; and in the event that these funds from two years prove insufficient, the program maintains a contingency fund that can be spent in any year. Table 2 displays three years of federal WIC obligations. Due to the availability of WIC's appropriated funds, obligated funds may include not only the current year's appropriation but carryover and contingency spending as well. As Table 2 shows, the bulk of WIC funding is provided as two types of grants for states: food grants, and Nutrition Services and Administration (NSA) grants. Food grant funds may be used to pay retail grocery stores for foods purchased by program participants; to acquire, store, and provide supplemental foods to participants; and to purchase or rent breast pumps. NSA grant funds may be used for participant certification costs, nutrition education activities, breastfeeding promotion and support activities, and salaries and administrative costs to provide these services. In general, money for food costs and NSA expenses must be kept separate; however, grantees may, under federal guidelines, convert food funding to support NSA costs. The WIC appropriation also includes federal funds for specified WIC purposes (e.g., Management Information Systems, Breastfeeding Peer Counselors) that may only be used to carry out approved projects or certain activities. Because WIC's funding is tied to the cost of food items, the program has come to include a number of cost containment measures. Such measures include approved food lists with reasonably priced food items, rebates on infant formula and other authorized foods, and the selection of WIC vendors based on competitive prices. These policies are discussed in later sections of this report. Mothers and children seeking WIC assistance must apply to their local WIC agencies and be screened for eligibility. WIC has a number of federal and state eligibility requirements including categorical, financial, and nutritional risk tests. To qualify for benefits, an individual must be categorically eligible (i.e., in a specified participant category). WIC serves individuals in the following participant categories: women during pregnancy and up to six weeks after delivery, breastfeeding women up to one year after delivery, non-breastfeeding women up to six months postpartum, infants, and children up to age five (eligibility ends at fifth birthday). In FY2016, approximately 24% of participants were women, 24% were infants, and 52% were children under the age of 5. Participant characteristics by category are shown in Figure 1 . Applicants must meet specific income guidelines to qualify for WIC, and applicants who participate in certain programs are deemed income-eligible. Federal law states that the maximum allowable gross family income of an applicant must not exceed the guidelines for reduced-price school meals, which are set at 185% of the federal poverty level (income eligibility guidelines shown in Table 3 ). Although federal regulation allows states to set income limits between 100% and 185% of the federal poverty level, currently all WIC state agencies set the income limit at the maximum of 185%. Federal law also sets the rules for what state agencies may exclude from counted income, with additional options provided in regulations.