将近700万母亲和她们的孩子可能会失去他们从联邦政府得到的营养援助如果国会本周未能达成协议避免政府关门根据美国农业部的数据。
农业部长汤姆·维尔萨克在周一下午的白宫新闻发布会上告诉记者，如果政府关闭，通常称为WIC的妇女、婴儿和儿童特别补充营养计划将立即停止。
“如果你愿意的话，这个程序会过期，或者在关机时立即停止，”维尔萨克说。
根据美国农业部WIC计划为低收入孕妇、哺乳期妇女和5岁以下儿童提供医疗保健服务和营养，包括富含蛋白质、钙、铁、维生素A和C的食物，以及乳制品、全麦面包、大米、花生酱和豆类等婴儿和母亲的重要营养素。其服务还包括获得营养教育、母乳喂养教育和支持，以及购买WIC批准的新鲜水果和蔬菜的代金券。
维尔萨克说，美国农业部设立了一项应急基金，可能在WIC项目可能关闭后的一两天内为该项目提供资金，并表示一些州可能会获得剩余的WIC资金，并可能能够将该项目延长约一周。
2023年9月25日，DC华盛顿州，农业部长汤姆·维尔萨克在白宫每日新闻发布会上回答问题。
赢得麦克纳米/盖蒂图片社
但部长警告说，关闭将“以真实的方式对真实的人产生真实的后果”，潜在的关闭将影响该计划的参与者。
“绝大多数WIC参与者将会看到这些福利的立即减少和取消，这意味着所提供的营养援助将无法获得，”他说。
根据美国农业部，WIC计划在2022年每月服务约630万参与者，包括美国所有婴儿的约39%。
根据2023年2月的一份报告由支持WIC计划的非营利组织全国WIC协会发布，WIC在新冠肺炎疫情期间扩大远程服务后，全国儿童参与率提高了12%。
白宫上个月呼吁国会考虑一项短期措施，让立法者有更多时间达成协议，并为可能受到关闭影响的项目提供额外资金，要求WIC提供14亿美元，为低收入家庭提供营养援助。
根据美国农业部的数据，WIC计划在2022年耗资约57亿美元。
全国WIC协会支持拜登政府追加资金的呼吁，并在一份声明中表示声明8月31日，该计划的参与人数“激增”，而食品价格仍然很高，因此“WIC获得足够的资金以确保没有一个有资格参加该计划的人被拒绝是至关重要的。”
国会尚未达成协议，为政府提供9月30日之后的资金，除非立法者本周达成协议，否则联邦政府将于10月1日关闭。
国家WIC协会发布了一份声明周五，呼吁对该项目追加投资。
“如果没有额外资金的紧急投资，WIC州政府可能很快就会被迫考虑潜在参与者的等候名单——这是近30年来从未见过的激烈举措，”全国WIC协会董事会主席凯特·弗兰肯在声明中说。“我们不能越过那条线。国会必须履行对所有依赖该计划的人的责任，在一项持续的决议中提供足够的资金，以确保没有人在短期内被WIC拒之门外，并在年终支出计划中提供充足的资金，以支持WIC向前推进的关键任务。”
与WIC不同的是，它是一个每年资助的自由支配赠款计划，补充营养援助计划(SNAP) -以前称为“食品券”-为低收入家庭提供食品援助，被授权为强制性支出。
维尔萨克说，如果政府关闭，为大约4000万面临粮食不安全的人服务的SNAP项目将至少持续到10月份。
“现在，如果关闭时间超过这个时间，将会出现一些严重的后果，”维尔萨克说。
Millions of women, children risk losing WIC's nutrition assistance if government shuts down
Nearly 7 million mothers and their children could lose the nutrition assistance they receive from the federal governmentif Congress fails to reach a deal this weekto avert agovernment shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters during a White House press briefing on Monday afternoon that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, would stop immediately if the government shuts down.
"That program expires, if you will, or stops immediately when the shutdown occurs," Vilsack said.
According toUSDA, the WIC program provides healthcare services and nutrition to low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women and children under the age of 5, including foods that are rich in protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and important nutrients for infants and mothers like dairy products, whole wheat bread, rice, peanut butter and legumes. Its services also include access to nutrition education, breastfeeding education and support, as well as vouchers to purchase WIC-approved fresh fruits and vegetables.
Vilsack said that the USDA has a contingency fund set up that could potentially fund the WIC program for a day or two after a potential shutdown and said that some states might have access to remaining WIC funds and may be able to extend the program for about a week.
But the secretary warned that a shutdown would have "real consequences to real people in a real way," and a potential shutdown would impact the program's participants.
"The vast majority of WIC participants would see an immediate reduction and elimination of those benefits, which means the nutrition assistance that's provided would not be available," he said.
According to theUSDA, the WIC program served about 6.3 million participants each month in 2022, including about 39% of all infants in the United States.
According to a February 2023reportreleased by The National WIC Association -- a nonprofit that supports the WIC program, WIC has seen a 12% nationwide increase in child participation following expanded access to remote services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The White House called on Congress last month to consider a short-term measure that would give lawmakers more time to reach a deal and provide additional funds to programs that would be impacted by a potential shutdown -- with a request for $1.4 billion for WIC to provide nutritional assistance to low-income families.
According to the USDA, the WIC program cost about $5.7 billion in the year 2022.
The National WIC Association backed the Biden Administration's call for additional funds and said in astatementon Aug. 31 that participation in the program is "surging," while food pieces remain high, so "it is essential that WIC receives enough funding to ensure that no one eligible for the program is turned away."
Congress has not reached a deal yet to fund the government past Sept. 30 and unless lawmakers reach a deal this week, the federal government is set to shut down on Oct. 1.
The National WIC Association released astatementon Friday, calling for additional investment in the program.
"Without the urgent investment of additional funds, state WIC offices could soon be forced to consider waiting lists for prospective participants -- a drastic step not seen in nearly 30 years," Kate Franken, board chair of the National WIC Association, said in the statement. "We simply cannot cross that line. Congress must live up to its responsibility to all those who depend on the program, providing sufficient funding in a continuing resolution to ensure no one is turned away from WIC in the short term and full funding in a year-end spending package to support WIC's critical mission moving forward."
Unlike WIC, which is a discretionary grant program that is funded on an annual basis, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- formerly known as "food stamps" -- which provides food assistance to low income families, is authorized as mandatory spending.
Vilsack said that the SNAP program, which serves about 40 million people facing food insecurity, would continue through at least through the month of October if the government shuts down.
"Now if the shutdown were to extend longer than that, there would be some serious consequences to SNAP," Vilsack said.
