WIC, a food program for moms and children, could run out of money amid federal shutdown

260,000 North Carolinians rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC. Without help, the program could soon be depleted.

The federal government has been shut down for a week and there are no signs that Democrats and Republicans are any closer to reopening it. As we’ve previously reported, shutdowns are a little like snowballs tumbling down a mountain: They may not be that big a deal at first, but the longer they fall, the bigger they get and the more damage they can do. 

The current snowball is getting a lot bigger.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, helps millions of mothers across the country provide nutritious food for themselves and their young children, and also offers pre-and-post partum services and breastfeeding consultation. More than 260,000 North Carolinians rely on WIC, but it may soon be unreliable.  Because of the shutdown, WIC has only two weeks of emergency funding left.

A White House official told Axios that the Trump administration had found a “creative” funding source and would keep WIC afloat, but they provided no details about how much money they would allot or for how long.

Without a federal budget or work around, states would have to step in to fill the void.

But the North Carolina General Assembly still has not passed its own budget, has several other urgent shortfalls to fill, and is not scheduled to return until Oct. 20.

Other food assistance programs could soon be in the same boat.

More than 1.4 million North Carolinians receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The program should be able to provide full benefits through October, but if the shutdown lasts past Halloween, it too could run out of money.

The government shut down on Oct. 1 after Congressional Democrats held out their votes for a new spending bill in order to press Republicans to protect access to affordable health care for millions of Americans. North Carolinians who get coverage via the Affordable Care Act could see their health insurance premiums skyrocket if Republicans allow federal subsidies to expire.