Sponsors (2)
The bill expands remote and digital pathways so more families can get nutrition benefits faster and with improved accessibility for some users, but it shifts administrative costs to governments and risks leaving behind people without reliable internet, mailing addresses, or safeguards against fraud or benefit disruption.
Low-income families, parents/caregivers, pregnant people, and children can access certifications and receive food benefits faster and more conveniently through in-person/phone/video appointments and remote issuance (including mailed EBT), reducing travel, wait times, and disruptions to child nutrition.
Remote appointment formats are required to be ADA- and Section 504-compliant, improving access to certification and services for people with disabilities.
Integrating digital nutrition education and breastfeeding support can increase participation in counseling and improve maternal and infant nutrition outcomes.
Participants with limited internet access, devices, or stable mailing addresses (including many rural and unhoused people) may be left unable to use remote certification or receive mailed benefits, worsening inequities.
Mailing or remotely issuing EBT cards increases risks of fraud, misdelivery, or wrongful receipt unless robust safeguards are specified and implemented.
States and federal staff will face administrative, logistical, and upfront costs to ensure multiple accessible service formats, implement remote issuance/mailing systems, collect required data, and prepare reports—straining budgets and staff time.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 11, 2026 by Roger Wayne Marshall · Last progress February 11, 2026
Allows people applying for or recertifying WIC to choose in-person, phone, video (two-way real time), or other two-way remote formats for certification and nutrition services, and requires state agencies to collect required physical measurements within set timeframes after remote appointments. It also lets states deliver WIC food benefits by mail or remote issuance rather than requiring participants to come to local offices, and directs USDA to update related rules. Requires USDA to report within one year on how remote technologies and digital tools are used in WIC, their effects on certification and participant experience, best practices, and data-security practices. The bill sets timelines for data collection after remote certifications and allows temporary certification pending completion of a nutritional risk evaluation.