Sedgwick County Officials Mull Restrictions For Food Program

Sedgwick County commissioners are considering asking the state to bar people in the U.S. illegally from a federal nutrition program.

The Wichita Eagle reports that no state has such a restriction on the federal Women, Infants and Children program, which provides nutritional food and supplements, like milk and cheese, to low-income families.

Chairman Richard Ranzau on Wednesday proposed that the county ask the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which administers WIC money in the state, to restrict program participation to citizens, U.S. nationals and immigrants who are in the country legally.

Two of the other five commissioners supported Ranzau’s plan.

KDHE spokeswoman Sara Belfry says U.S. citizenship isn’t a requirement to be eligible for WIC, and changing eligibility requirements would need state and federal approval.