WIC Program Overview - WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to nearly 7 million individuals, including pregnant and postpartum women and infants through their fifth birthday [3] - To participate, families must be low-income and at nutritional risk, representing some of the most vulnerable community members [4] Funding and Operational Challenges - The shutdown occurred at the beginning of the new federal fiscal year, leaving state WIC agencies with minimal fiscal year 2025 funds [2] - Increased WIC participation has tightened budgets, exacerbating the impact of the shutdown [2] - Without additional federal resources, widespread disruption is possible as soon as November 1st [5] Potential Consequences of Funding Cuts - Charitable food systems like food banks are not equipped to support all families relying on WIC [6] - Families may face reduced SNAP benefits, further limiting their ability to access healthy food [6] Advocacy and Bipartisan Support - WIC has historically received broad bipartisan support [7] - The current situation is attributed to broader political uncertainty rather than targeted opposition to WIC [8] - The National WIC Association is calling on Congress for a bipartisan solution to fully fund WIC and seeking emergency federal resources to prevent disruptions [8][9]