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Shutdown puts WIC food program for vulnerable mothers at risk

01 October 2013 22:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. In a shopping center parking lot 1,300 miles from Washington’s bureaucracy and bickering, teen mom Karina Luciano loaded a watermelon and baby formula into her car, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com.

Luciano didn’t realize the federal assistance program that just purchased the food items for her children, Aimee, 2, and Jaiden, 11 months, is now in jeopardy because of the government shutdown.

“Oh my god, I think I’m going to cry,” Luciano said upon learning the news. “This is really bad.”

Nearly 9 million low-income mothers and children receive benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Congress’ inability to pass a funding bill forced the USDA, which oversees the $7 billion program, to shutter support for WIC’s clinical services, food and administrative costs.

“Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available,” read a message on the WIC page of USDA.gov.

The defunding, which doesn't affect USDA programs for school lunches and food stamps, is already producing consequences across the country.

Late on Tuesday, WIC officials in Utah closed all offices and canceled appointments until the federal government resumes operations.

“Utah WIC checks for the month of October are still being accepted at WIC authorized grocery stores,” the Utah Department of Health wrote on its website.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said no new WIC applicants will be accepted but that benefits will continue for current participants.