Tariff Funds Temporarily Keep WIC Running

States and the USDA have taken temporary steps to keep the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) operating during the federal government shutdown, but funding remains precarious if the lapse continues. Missouri says nearly 90,000 WIC participants can redeem benefits into November by drawing on carry-over federal funds, and the state shifted $10.6 million to area agencies on aging and advanced $5 million to food banks to help food-insecure residents. At the federal level, the USDA has tapped tariff revenue and transfers from child nutrition programs to sustain WIC; Pennsylvania officials say those moves will keep benefits flowing to about 185,000 participants there. North Carolina and South Carolina likewise reported continued WIC operations for roughly 260,000 and 98,000 families, respectively, under USDA measures. Lawmakers have proposed legislation — including Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s "Keep WIC Working Act" — to authorize WIC funding during the shutdown, but prior transfers (including a $300 million tariff transfer) are being drawn down and advocates warn many states could exhaust resources without new appropriations.