Food Stamps & WIC Benefits Could Cease In February Due To Shutdown

The repercussions from the partial government shutdown, now entering its third week, are starting to become more clear and if things don't get fixed soon, millions of Americans are going to be trouble.

According to CBS News, if the government is not reopened by February, millions of Americans who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) could have their service disrupted.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP at the federal level, is one of the agencies unfunded during the partial government shutdown. Although SNAP is automatically renewed, it has not been allocated funding from Congress beyond January. Congress has appropriated $3 billion in emergency funds for SNAP distribution, but that would not cover all of February's obligations. - via CBS News

Other programs like The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are not receiving federal funds at all during the shutdown but would continue to operate at the state and local level.

If a resolution to the shutdown is not made by March, there be no funding to cover food stamp benefits.