Lexington health dept. says WIC available amid confusion over Trump’s funding freeze
Lexington’s health department says public health services remain available to Fayette County residents as officials and agencies across the national grapple with the impacts of a federal funding freeze issued by the Trump administration Monday.
Trump officials reportedly withdrew the memo Wednesday after a federal judge blocked the freeze late Tuesday afternoon.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning benefits through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as WIC, remain available through its office.
“WIC benefits in Lexington remain available, and our WIC office remain open,” the LFCHD post states. “If you have an appointment, please remember to keep it or call ahead to cancel. Please continue using your benefits, going to your appointments, and accessing services as usual. Your health and well-being are our top priority. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.”
Other services offered by the department are still available as of Wednesday, as well.
“The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department remains open and continues to provide public health services to Lexington. Most of the confusion so far has been about our WIC program. It remains open and anyone with an appointment should continue to keep it,” LFCHD spokesperson Kevin Hall wrote the Herald-Leader in an email Tuesday.
An order from President Donald Trump to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans led to confusion and outrage Tuesday as it disrupted Medicaid and other programs that rely on a steady flow of federal money, as reported by the New York Times. Minutes before the freeze was officially set to go into effect, a federal judge temporarily blocked it, pausing it until Monday, Feb. 3.
A senior Trump administration official later clarified Tuesday food assistance programs will not be affected by the freeze. That includes WIC and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps or SNAP.
Early Wednesday afternoon, the Trump administration withdrew the memo, according to media reports.
WIC is a federal program supports more than 115,000 Kentucky parents, caregivers and children, providing them with nutrition education, food assistance and breastfeeding support, among other services, according to Kentucky Youth Advocates. In 2023, the program provided formula to 1 in 3 babies in Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
Many other local and state health and human services could potentially be affected by funding lapses, along with universities, nonprofits, grant-funded work and more, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy said Tuesday.
This story may be updated.
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This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 1:31 PM.