By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced last week that services under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will continue operating during the federal government shutdown — as long as existing funding remains available.
The government shut down at midnight on Oct. 1 after lawmakers in Washington, D.C., failed to resolve a budget impasse, halting most non-essential federal operations and placing about 750,000 employees on unpaid leave.
According to CDPH’s website, “No new federal funding to California WIC will be provided until the President and Congress take action. Families should continue to use their WIC benefits and attend their WIC appointments. This information is subject to change, so please monitor the California WIC website for updates.”
WIC provides low- to moderate-income families with healthy food, nutrition education, and healthcare referrals. The federally funded program, administered by CDPH, serves pregnant women, new and breastfeeding mothers, and infants and children under five who are at nutritional risk.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), eligibility is based on income and extends to recipients of Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and CalWORKs. Caregivers — including fathers, grandparents, and foster parents — may also apply on behalf of eligible infants and children. WIC offices across California have confirmed that they remain open and are continuing to serve and enroll families.
The California WIC program is funded through a discretionary USDA grant, with additional revenue from infant formula manufacturer rebates. Serving about 988,000 low- to moderate-income residents each month in 2023–24, it does not draw from the State General Fund.
Annual WIC spending in California varies, but recent estimates show approximately $1.4 billion for food expenditures and $341.7 million for nutrition and administrative services in the 2025–26 budget year.
Following the Oct. 1 shutdown, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) issued a statement blaming Republicans and President Donald Trump for the funding lapse.
The CBC, composed of 62 African American members of the 119th U.S. Congress — including Californians Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), and Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) — called the federal funding pause “the most aggressive attack on healthcare in modern history.”
“Make no mistake: President Trump and the Republican majority in Congress own this shutdown,” the CBC statement continued. “Instead of coming to the negotiating table to find a bipartisan solution to prevent Americans from losing life-saving healthcare, they left town.”
Simon said, “Democrats are fighting for stability, affordable health care, and the dignity of work. We want government that pays its employees on time, honors its commitments to veterans and seniors, and ensures that no family is left without care or income because of politics.”
Both Democrats and Republicans warn that a prolonged shutdown could drain critical resources, leaving millions of families at risk of losing essential benefits.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-4) said women, infants, and children nutrition programs are being withheld while “troops, TSA agents, and border patrol agents are working without pay to protect the country.”
Johnson added that Republicans have been transparent about their position. “We’re operating in good faith, and we’re trying to get the Democrats to do their job, and they won’t,” he stated. “Those are the simple facts, and they cannot be obscured. I’m so grateful for the strong leadership of my colleague and partners over in the Senate.”
In a letter, Kamlager-Dove said Trump and the Republicans “walked away from the table.”
“This shutdown is a choice made by Trump and Republicans — a reckless, cruel one that shows exactly where their priorities lie,” she stated. “If they cared about the American people or the devastating impacts of a shutdown, they would have gotten serious about governing months ago.”
