Federal nutrition program remains operational in California despite federal shutdown
The U.S. government shut down on Oct. 1, causing uncertainty among recipients of funding from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
WIC provides baby formula, healthy food, breastfeeding support and nutrition education for eligible mothers and children under five. During a government shutdown, discretionary spending programs like WIC operate off of available funds until Congress appropriates money for the next fiscal year.
At this time, all California WIC agencies are “operating as normal,” said Sarah Diaz, media and policy coordinator for the California WIC Association (CWA), a private nonprofit that advocates for California’s 83 local WIC agencies and the program’s roughly 1 million monthly participants.
“We understand the uncertainty families may feel, but WIC is open to serve all families in need, including new enrollments,” said Santa Clara County’s WIC program director, Vivian Wong. “It’s important that WIC families continue to use the benefits and continue attending appointments.”
Summer Wahab ’28 lives on campus with her four-year-old son and two daughters, aged five and 13. Originally from San Francisco, Wahab transferred to Stanford this quarter.
“I’m worried about my family. I’m worried about so many other families that are going to be affected by this,” Wahab said.
A single mother, Wahab receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) and Medi-Cal. She said she feels the effects of the shutdown on her family’s food security.
“I recently got emails from the state regarding my benefits, saying that in November, there will most likely be a [SNAP] cut,” Wahab, 31, said. “It’s what helps feed my kids, helps with bills and provides for them while I get a degree.”
In the past, Wahab received WIC benefits that gave her access to fruit, vegetables, eggs and milk. Along with a monthly payment from SNAP for groceries, she said WIC helped her “make ends meet every month for food.”
Because Congress failed to pass a budget by Oct. 1 for fiscal year 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) distributed a $150 million contingency fund for WIC during the first week of the shutdown.
States can also spend forward funds — up to 3% of unused funds from the previous budget period that can carry over into the next fiscal year. Diaz added that states have requested early rebates from contracts with infant formula manufacturers.
“Some state governments have committed to temporarily providing WIC funding to keep WIC open, assuming that they’ll be reimbursed by USDA,” she said. “California hasn’t done that yet. Hopefully they won’t need to.”
On Oct. 9, the Trump administration infused $300 million of unspent tariff revenue into WIC, providing temporary stability for states that can’t fill the gap if federal money runs out.
“Not all states have been in the same boat for the duration of this shutdown. We hope there will be a resolution, but the funding that’s available won’t last forever,” Diaz said.
Last week, House Democrats introduced the WIC Benefits Protection Act. If passed, the bill would change WIC to a mandatory spending program, “ensuring consistent funding based on eligibility and need rather than relying on the appropriations process,” according to an Education and Workforce Committee Democrats press release.
“The County of Santa Clara has not taken any position on that pending legislation at this time,” a county Public Health Department spokesperson wrote in an email.
Sara Kimberlin, executive director of Stanford’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, said the proposed bill would “provide greater protection” to WIC benefits during a shutdown.
WIC serves approximately half the babies born in California during their first year, Wong said. Every month, about 1 million infants, children under five and pregnant and postpartum individuals utilize WIC.
“It is critical that these vulnerable populations continue to receive WIC benefits, so they can maintain the basic nutrition that they need to avoid hunger [and] malnutrition and build a strong foundation for lifelong health and success,” Wong said.
Stanford’s Graduate Life Office (GLO) has a Students with Children program but does not work with or make referrals to WIC. The Dean of Students office provides basic needs resources, including pregnancy and parenting services, diapers and food.
“I am not aware of any Stanford program or services that provide formula or infant nutrition,” GLO Assistant Vice Provost Ken Hsu wrote in an email. “Stanford has a graduate family grant program that provides financial aid to eligible graduate student families with children up to $20,000 annually.”
Diaz said she expects California WIC can “continue serving families for several more weeks” with its current funding.
“The longer the shutdown goes on, the higher the risk is that there will be a disruption in funding and people will be affected,” Kimberlin said.
For now, California families should use WIC benefits as usual, and Wong encourages eligible individuals to enroll, so WIC can “support them during this difficult time.”
“It’s really hard to communicate during a government shutdown that all government services are not shut down. We don’t want people to go without benefits that their families need,” Diaz said.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) wrote in an email to The Daily that it is “closely monitoring” the impacts of the federal shutdown on WIC and other funding programs.
“Cuts to these programs will have wide-ranging negative consequences for vulnerable families across California,” CDPH wrote.
Federal funding updates are available on CDPH’s website.
“I want everyone to understand that there are classmates of theirs that will be affected by this funding, and I would hope that we could come together and help one another,” Wahab said.
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