BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards has announced that the Department of Agriculture has lifted the federal moratorium on the authorization of new vendors in the Louisiana Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

In a statement released Tuesday, the governor said he received a letter from the Trump administration notifying the state of the decision.

“I am thankful that the Trump administration recognizes the hard work that has gone into improving the way the state manages the WIC vendors who are integral in meeting the nutritional needs of the thousands of Louisiana woman and children who rely on this program,” Edwards said.

In May 2014, the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service notified the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals – now the Louisiana Department of Health – that it would impose a federal moratorium on the authorization of new WIC vendors until Louisiana could ensure the effective use of federal funds by making necessary improvements to its vendor management system. Since taking office, Gov. Edwards’ administration and the FNS have been working collaboratively to take corrective actions.