The government shutdown is approaching the two-week mark and its effects are becoming more apparent — not just on federal workers’ salaries, but on everything from science to beer.
Certain food programs run by the Department of Agriculture could be affected by the shutdown if it continues.
Among those threatened is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides nutritional assistance to more than 7 million low-income women and their children.
The WIC is currently operating normally, said Rev. Douglas Greenaway, president and CEO of the National WIC Association (NWA), a non-profit education arm and advocacy voice for the program. But that could change if the shutdown keeps up.
A prolonged shutdown could « lead to significant health consequences if babies and young children lose access to nutritious foods and vital breastfeeding support, » Greenaway’s statement said.
« If the shutdown lasts for several weeks, families will be forced to make hard choices about how to feed their newborn babies. »
Science experiments could be spoiled
Many scientists have had to cease their work for federal research agencies, and now the results of delicate experiments hang in the balance.
« Any shutdown of the federal government can disrupt or delay research projects, lead to uncertainty over new research, and reduce researcher access to agency data and infrastructure, » Rush Holt, the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said in a statement .
Holt pushed for lawmakers and the White House to come to an agreement and fund agencies like NASA, the National Science Foundation, the EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the Department of Agriculture.
Native tribes can’t get funding
Native American tribes that rely on federal funding for different services like health clinics and food pantries are out of luck, according to a report from the New York Times .
