MISSOULA — The possibility of the federal government shutting down on October 1, 2023, puts funding at risk for millions of families who rely on food assistance programs.
One of those is the Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. WIC agency director for Missoula County Kate Devino says if the shutdown does happen, there's no known plan at this time.
Devino did confirm that Montana WIC families will not see any difference in October benefits.
“During the last government shutdown, we did not see any change in WIC benefits or operations at the local level. I am hopeful that will be the case again if there is a shutdown,” Devino told MTN News in a statement.
According to the USDA, in 2022, 6.3 million people benefited from the WIC program each month, including 39% of all infants in America, at an annual cost of $5.7 billion.
Additionally, thousands of Montanans who benefit from the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could see their benefits halted.
- information from Kierra Sam and Scripps News included in this report
