Jan, That $8 million annually comes out of administrative funds.  See WIC
history at http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/

I realize many may feel that the government has made a committment
financially to breastfeeding through the WIC Program.  But as someone who
worked in that Program for 4 years, I don't believe there is a true level of
commitment from the government.  The people who have to work the Program are
very committed but they are working against a system that was intially geered
to giving out infant formula.  County by county, State by State the
breastfeeding portion of the Program depends on whether the administrator is
convinced and committed to breastfeeding.  There are alot of adminstrators
who are convinced and super-committed but you also have those who aren't.
But what it amounts to is that the government has not truly given a fund to
breastfeeding--only allowed breastfeeding to get some of the monies from the
administrators budget.  The government is not giving breastfeeding extra
money only taking it away from the administrators.  The other important
aspect of this to remember is that a breastfeeding mother saves the WIC
Program a bundle in infant formula costs (I reverted back to using the word
infant formula because I don't know what you'all have decided for the
appropriate terminology) and saves the Medicaid Program (if the mother and
infant are on Medicaid) money due to having healthier infants and mothers
through breastfeeding.  So the government ultimately is getting a kickback
from its so-called promotion of breastfeeding.  So I just would never think
of the WIC Program as government support of breastfeeding but of course that
is my opinion and I am sure others may feel very differently.  Valerie W.
McClain, IBCLC

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