Health secretary Dennis Worsham warns of impending termination of WIC benefits amid shutdown
The state’s Women Infants and Children Nutrition Program will not have the money to offer people benefits if the federal government’s shutdown continues past late November, a state health official said.
In an interview Tuesday, state Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham said federal funding for WIC has been threatened since before the shutdown that started at the beginning of October. In September, the Department of Health had been expecting an $18 million payment from the federal government. They received approximately $300,000.
“This was before the shutdown. So before October, we started to shift away from the administrative side of the program and focus solely on benefits not being disrupted,” Worsham said.
These administrative functions of WIC include certification processes for recipients and inspections of the stores where WIC vouchers can be used. Since September, the state has temporarily laid off 50 staff who complete these administrative functions.
Spokane’s local WIC program will temporarily lay off 29 employees at the end of the week, should the government remain closed.
Since the shutdown began, DOH has obtained $10 million of additional services, which will allow benefits to continue through most of November. Of that total, $8 million comes from the federal Department of Agriculture. They netted another $2 million from a rebate as part of a purchase of formula.
It is unclear when funds for the program will run out, but Worsham expects it to last through most of November.
“If the government doesn’t reopen by mid-November or the end of November, we will have run out of the benefits we currently have available. Unless we find another funding source, WIC benefits will end,” he said.
Worsham is skeptical USDA will make any more funds available, and the state will not backfill funding to keep the program running.
“There is no recourse we have. We don’t have an ability in our state government to fill these gaps in this particular area,” he said.
Typically when government shutdowns end, federal employees and programs will receive back pay for the funds they would have received. President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold this back pay to certain employees and programs.
“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” Trump said when asked about back pay. “There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of.”
Worsham is concerned if the state does not receive back pay for political reasons that the lack of funds may cause WIC to be permanently damaged in the state.
“This administration has had a focus on WIC and SNAP benefits as something they believe is being abused. So I don’t know what will happen. If we lose our clinics, there’s no way to get them back,” he said.
There are more than 200 WIC clinics across the state, including 11 in Spokane County. Clinic locations can be found on the state’s website. Those who newly apply for services may be unable to obtain them until after the government shutdown ends.