U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a warning on Monday, stating that a government shutdown could jeopardize nutritional assistance for nearly 7 million
low-income women and children who rely on these benefits.
Vilsack emphasized that if Congress fails to secure funding for the fiscal year starting on October 1, some benefits could be impacted in just a matter of days or weeks.
The aide to President Joe Biden indicated that the "vast majority" of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC program) would experience an immediate reduction in benefits, with cuts occurring in the days and weeks following the commencement of a shutdown. Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture Tom Witham, Wikimedia commons.