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Summary
King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell today announced a plan to address food insecurity for those eligible for benefits through the Women, Infants, and Children program amid funding concerns stemming from the ongoing federal shutdown.
Story
King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell today announced a partnership that will support vulnerable residents in the region – women, infants, and children – should the federal shutdown persist through this month.
Currently, benefits for the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Washington are at risk of running out of funding within the next two weeks. This means close to 30,000 participants in King County – nearly a quarter of whom are in Seattle – will have little to no access to essential food and infant formula.
If the federal government shutdown continues, Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) will issue one-time vouchers for food and infant formula to current King County WIC clients through a partnership with Safeway, helping mothers, babies, and children receive essential nutrition. The temporary benefit will be made available as early as the end of this month, and no later than the beginning of November.
“The government shutdown is set to take food off the tables of some of our most vulnerable residents who rely on the federal WIC benefits to feed their children,” said Executive Braddock. “This is unacceptable, which is why we are prepared with this emergency response to support food security for nearly 30,000 WIC clients in King County if needed. To be clear, this is a band-aid, not a solution. Congressional Republicans need to return to the table, make a compromise, and reopen our federal government. This shutdown is bad for the economy, and it could be devastating for the health and well-being of our King County residents.”
“This critical partnership between the City of Seattle and King County plans for the possibility that some our most vulnerable families could lose their food benefits due to partisan politics in Washington, D.C. WIC benefits are a lifeline for tens of thousands of families in our region and it would cause significant harm if they were to lapse,” said Mayor Harrell. “Republicans in Congress need to put the health and wellbeing of children and families ahead of scoring political points and end this unnecessary and costly government shutdown.”
“Losing essential nutrition benefits is unthinkable to King County families who depend on them,” said Dr. Faisal Khan, Director for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “With this plan, they will continue to have access to nutritious food staples and infant formula if benefits run out during the federal shutdown. Executive Braddock and Mayor Harrell deserve thanks for stepping up for our community.”
King County’s Best Starts for Kids initiative made nearly $1.5 million available, in addition to over $500,000 from the City of Seattle, to assist in the availability of food and formula vouchers for WIC clients.
Should this emergency response need to be implemented, Public Health – Seattle & King County will partner with Safeway to provide one-time vouchers to be distributed within King County to WIC clients, who can redeem them at Safeway stores. WIC clients in King County will receive information directly with more details about how to access the vouchers.
Vouchers will be issued based on each participant’s existing WIC food package. They will expire on December 31, 2025, ensuring clients can fully utilize the benefit, especially as it will likely take time for the WIC system to restore benefits once the shutdown ends.
Additionally, the federal shutdown has resulted in the furloughs of WIC staff at the state level. To prepare for the significant impact on essential WIC services, King County will temporarily cover grant costs for its WIC staff, ensuring they will continue to support new clients, provide current participants with updates and information throughout the shutdown, and, if needed, distribute vouchers to King County WIC clients. Keeping staff in place ensures that families can continue receiving guidance about their benefits during this uncertain time.
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