A group called on the federal government to provide $300 million to a support program for women and children starting Nov. 1.
A nonprofit group representing nutrition and health service providers warned on Oct. 21 that millions of people enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may not receive food aid in November as the government shutdown entered its fourth week.
The National WIC Association said in a statement that millions of U.S. families could have their access to the WIC program cut off as early as Nov. 1 due to the shutdown unless the federal government provides emergency relief.
WIC is a federal assistance program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides support for low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under age 5. State officials recently warned that the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, could jeopardize funding not only for WIC but also for the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration provided $300 million in what it said was tariff-related revenue to keep the program running amid the shutdown through October.
The National WIC Association said that an additional $300 million is needed to sustain the program’s operations for the first two weeks of November.
“WIC is a lifeline for nearly 7 million pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children. Even short-term disruption to WIC’s healthy food benefits, lactation support, nutrition education, screenings, and referrals can have long-term negative impacts on families,” National WIC Association President Georgia Machell said.
If no funding is provided for the first two weeks of November, state WIC agencies might be forced to take “drastic measures that prevent families from accessing the services they need, such as halting food benefits,” she said, adding that it would “jeopardize the health and nutrition of millions” of women and children.
In an Oct. 7 post on X, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration came up with a solution to use tariff revenues to keep WIC funded.
Multiple states have warned that SNAP benefits could also run out starting on Nov. 1 if the shutdown persists. Some states have said that the lapse in funding has forced officials to delay the issuance of benefits approved on or after Oct. 16.
