Washington (AP) – a Food Assistance Program This will help over 6 million low-income mothers and young children run out of federal money within two weeks. Government closure The end forces the state to use their money to float it or risk shutting it down, experts say.
A special $8 billion supplementary nutrition program for women, infants and children, also known as WIC, offers vouchers to purchase prescriptions for infants Fresh fruits and vegetableslow-fat milk and other healthy staples are often out of financial reach for low-income households.
Shutdown, that It started on Wednesdayin line with the beginning of the new fiscal year, wicrelies on annual infusions from the federal government, but with little money. The program is currently floating in a $150 million emergency fund, but experts say it could dry out quickly.
The states then intervened in paying for the program and were able to seek a refund when the budget finally passed, but not all states could afford to do so.
“We feel good in a week or two,” said Alihath, policy director for the National WIC Association. “After that, we’re very worried.”
WIC helps families buy more nutritious foods
Taylor Moyer, a mother of three who recently separated from her husband, has received a WIC since her eldest son was born nine years ago. She said the program allows children to feed nutritious foods that tend to be more expensive than processed options with dense calorie content. He also provided guidance when he counseled her on how to handle her son’s noisy eating stages, having struggled with breastfeeding.
“We’re working at the LGBT Life Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia,” said Moyer. “And then I went to the store with a WIC card… I got rice, got avocado, got eggs, and actually made a good meal.”
The closure came as Democrats and Republicans Failed to pass the new spending plan. Democrats want to extend the tax credits that will reduce healthcare for millions of Americans. Deep cut to Medicaid It was handed over earlier this year. They refused to sign on to spending plans that do not include these provisions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, called Democrats hypocritical because they blamed the shutdown and failed to fund many health programs because they weren’t in danger from the federal government.
Long received bipartisan support, the WIC program helps pregnant people, mothers and children under the age of five. Almost half of qualified people do not register. This is often because they believe they are not qualified or they cannot reach the WIC office.
Some Republican lawmakers want to cut down on WIC. Project 2025an influential policy blueprint written by a man who is currently the head of President Donald Trump’s budget. Trump’s budget requests and House Republican-backed spending plans do not fully fund the program. They also want to cut down on funds for families to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
Some states pledge to insert food aid gaps
In the event of an extended shutdown, some states are trying to reassure WIC recipients that they will continue to receive benefits. Democrat Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said the state will pick up the tabs when federal funds run out.
“I want those young families, those moms, to know that your WIC card will continue to be good in the foreseeable future,” Lamont said. “We’re trying not to let the government take it from you.”
Mississippi has also pledged that current WIC recipients will receive benefits, but that Registration has been temporarily suspended For new participants except those seeking benefits for pregnant, breastfeeding, or high-risk infants.
In Washington, where a third of babies receive WIC benefits, officials say they don’t have the money to keep the program open.
Raechel Sims, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said: “If the shutdown continues for longer than that, DOH has no ability to fill WIC funds.”
Moyer, a mother from Virginia Beach, warned that closing the program could be devastating for recipients.
“There will be infants where infants skip feed, allowing pregnant women to skip food and feed the infant,” she said. “And that means people aren’t going to eat a balanced, healthy diet.”
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Associated Press Writer Susan Hay from Hartford, Connecticut contributed to this report.
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