# Plain Language Summary: Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025

This bill updates the federal WIC program (Women, Infants, and Children nutrition assistance) to better support pregnant women, new mothers, and babies affected by substance use disorders. The main change is replacing outdated language like "drug abuse" with the more modern medical term "substance use disorder" throughout the program's rules. This shift reflects how medical professionals now understand addiction as a health condition rather than a moral failing, which can help reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help.

The bill also requires the federal government to create and share specialized nutrition education materials for pregnant women and new mothers dealing with substance use issues, as well as guidance for caring for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (withdrawal symptoms from prenatal drug exposure). The Department of Agriculture will work with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop these materials and make them available to all states through an online clearinghouse. This means WIC counselors and staff will have better tools to provide appropriate, evidence-based nutrition advice to this vulnerable population.

Additionally, the bill directs the federal government to conduct outreach to people who might qualify for WIC but haven't enrolled, particularly those affected by substance use disorders. The bill allocates $1 million in funding for fiscal year 2026 to support these new activities. In practical terms, this means pregnant women and mothers struggling with addiction will have better access to nutrition support and education, and their babies will receive more specialized guidance for healthy development during a critical period.

Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025

Vindman, Eugene Simon

Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act of 2025This bill modifies the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to add requirements for supporting individuals impacted by a substance use disorder.Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Agriculture to<ul><li>collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop and disseminate nutrition education materials for individuals impacted by a substance use disorder, including materials for infants impacted by prenatal substance exposure and neonatal abstinence syndrome;</li><li>conduct outreach to individuals who are potentially eligible for the WIC program and who are impacted by such a disorder; and</li><li>make available to states through an online clearinghouse any nutrition education and training materials related to nutrition for individuals impacted by a substance use disorder or neonatal abstinence syndrome.</li></ul>In addition, the nutrition education materials developed in collaboration with HHS must be included in (1) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention-developed education materials, and (2) HHS guidance on improving care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome and their families.Under current law, the WIC program includes certain education&nbsp;related to drug abuse. This bill replaces references to drug abuse with substance use disorder.