“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has worked to modernize, strengthen, and expand the reach of WIC to improve health outcomes for moms, babies, and young children, which has resulted in increased enrollment, but less unexpended funding,” the spokesperson told me. “Some states may have carryover funds or can use their own state funds to continue program operations for different amounts of time—USDA does not have control over whether states elect to use their own funds—but the risk to vulnerable families is real.”
The Biden administration requested $1.4 billion in emergency spending for WIC earlier this month, warning that millions of recipients could be pushed onto wait lists without the additional funds. Although the Senate version of the continuing resolution, the bill which would temporarily extend government funding, includes flexibilities to prevent WIC recipients from losing their benefits, it’s unlikely that either chamber of Congress passes that legislation before Saturday’s deadline.
Few Republicans actively support a shutdown. Most have stressed that they do not believe it would be an effective tactic for garnering concessions from the Democratic-led Senate and White House. “I do not think a shutdown is where we should go,” said Representative Garret Graves, a key ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.