Arkansas’ nutrition assistance program for low-income women and children has continued “uninterrupted” during the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1, but its current funds will only keep it operational until mid-November, state Health Department Chief of Staff Don Adams said Thursday.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program is running on funds left over from the previous fiscal year, and the health department spends $5 million per month on the program, Adams told the State Board of Health at its quarterly meeting.
“There is some discussion from USDA [the U.S. Department of Agriculture] that we may receive some additional dollars that would allow us to operate beyond that,” Adams said. “So right now, that program is fully functioning uninterrupted, but we do have a finite number of funds there.”…