Poor Moms and Children Are Caught in the Crossfire of the Shutdown

Unlike the last shutdown, which spanned 35 days from the end of 2018 through the beginning of 2019, the current lapse in government funding is occurring at the very beginning of the fiscal year. In 2019, states had already received some WIC funding from the federal government, meaning that it was easier to maintain the program. “States manage how they get their funding from the feds, and then manage how they spend it. So each state could have been different in 2018 as to where they were with their funding, but it wasn’t this dire of a situation,” said Kate Scully, the deputy director for WIC at the Food Research and Action Center.

If and when WIC does run out of funds, states may choose to fund it out of their own budgets. The Colorado state legislature has already approved $7.5 million to help keep the program afloat. States that floated funds for WIC during the 2014 government shutdown were later reimbursed. However, a state’s ability to provide that kind of temporary support is dependent on its own political and financial situation. “Not every state has that option available to them, either because of legislative or constitutional reasons, or because they’re in their own budget crises. So we would see real variation across the country once we get to the point where all federal funds have been expended,” said Menefee-Libey.

WIC has historically been one of the few programs aimed at low-income Americans that enjoys consistent bipartisan support. This trend seemed to be disrupted earlier this year, as the Trump administration’s proposed budget released this spring included cuts to WIC’s cash-value vouchers, which allow participants to buy fruits and vegetables. House Republicans also included cuts to that program in their funding bill for the USDA. However, the Senate agriculture appropriations bill provided sufficient funding to fully support WIC for the next fiscal year, according to advocates. Moreover, in September, the White House did ask Congress to fully fund WIC in a continuing resolution, or C.R., to keep the government open temporarily. Both parties introduced C.R.s that would have included spending flexibilities for WIC had they passed.