Shutdown threatens nutrition program for women, infants, and children
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
The federal government shutdown is threatening a nutrition program for women, infants, and children.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is operating normally in Minnesota, but Minnesota Department of Health officials are not sure how long that will continue.
WIC provides healthy food, nutrition education, and breastfeeding support to about 125,000 Minnesotans each month.
"I will say that it's probably a few days rather than weeks," said Maggie Diebel, director of the department's Community and Family Health Division. "We're monitoring it closely. We can't operate the WIC program without federal funding."
For now, WIC clinics are open. Diebel encourages program participants to keep their appointments and redeem their vouchers for food as usual.
Support Local News
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.