WIC and SNAP benefits at risk for millions if shutdown continues
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Government food assistance programs may be at risk if Congress is unable to reach a funding agreement to stop the shutdown in the coming weeks.
Why it matters: Millions of mothers, infants and low-income families who rely on WIC and SNAP — programs commonly known as food stamps — could lose that support in a long-term shutdown.
State of play: WIC could run out of funds within weeks, and SNAP enrollees are also vulnerable.
- WIC, known in full as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, served approximately 6.7 million participants every month in FY 2024.
- Existing federal funds may keep WIC running for one to two weeks, but after that, millions of pregnant women, new mothers and young children could lose access to healthy foods.
WIC funding is allocated quarterly from the USDA to states, but with the shutdown starting at the beginning of the fiscal year, states are left with just $150 million in contingency funds to keep the programs afloat.
- States can tap unspent funds from the last fiscal year, but they may need to use their own tax dollars until Congress restores full funding.
- OMB has committed funding for SNAP — which support more than 40 million Americans monthly — through October, but it hasn't confirmed how long funds would last after that.
Flashback: The 2019 shutdown during President Trump's first term also put SNAP and WIC at risk.
- While SNAP benefits continued, participants received February benefits earlier than normal — in mid-January — leaving some households with a gap of up to 40 days before March benefits arrived.
- WIC remained operational, but providers warned that a longer shutdown could force states to freeze new applications or even close clinics.
What they're saying: The National WIC Association, which represents WIC providers, said in a statement Tuesday, "Failure to rapidly reopen the government could result in State WIC directors being put in the horrible position of trying to manage their programs with insufficient funds."
