Is WIC affected by a government shutdown?

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, is affected by government shutdowns because the program stops receiving its federal funding and has to eliminate its employees, not accept new WIC candidates and not issue any new waivers until the government is reinstated. This means that when a government shutdown is present, WIC can only honor the vouchers that have already been handed out because its reserves are in danger of running out.

This is dangerous because it puts many women and young children at risk. In 2013, when the government shut down, approximately 9 million women and their young children were at risk with the WIC program unable to provide them with new vouchers.