The program providing food assistance to women, infants and children will remain operational even as food stamps from SNAP are suspended in Alabama.

In a statement to AL.com, the Alabama Department of Public Health said the state’s Special SNAP for Women, Infants, and Children, otherwise known as WIC, will continue during the government shutdown.

“Currently, all WIC services, including appointments, benefits issuance, and nutrition education, remain available statewide,” ADPH said in a statement. “WIC and SNAP are different programs, and SNAP is not under the direction of ADPH. The only measure that ADPH has taken, at this time, is to move to a one-month benefit issuance frequency in order to continue serving our WIC Program participants.”

Established in 1972, WIC provides free healthy foods, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and referrals to other services to support the health of pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to age 5, according to the USDA website.

In 2024, over 111,000 Alabamians participated in the program, according to data from ADPH.

Earlier on Monday, the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which administers SNAP, said food stamps will be suspended in November.

According to DHR, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a guidance that told them SNAP benefits would be suspended effective Nov. 1 until federal funding is provided or until states are directed otherwise.

The agency said recipients will be able to use benefits issued to their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card prior to November 1, 2025, at any SNAP authorized retailer.

“SNAP benefits are 100% federally funded; therefore USDA (FNS) controls the issuance of these benefits on EBT cards,” said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. “We know SNAP benefits are vitally important to the more than 750,000 Alabamians who depend on the more than $140 million in support each month. Alabama DHR, along with many others, hopes Congress will come to a quick resolution on the federal government shutdown.”

In October, ADPH warned that WIC may be facing a similar threat, saying their funding was being impacted by the shutdown as well.

“We can go for probably a couple of weeks, maybe three weeks or somewhere in that range,” State Health Officer Scott Harris said on Oct. 7.

“We have some cost savings type mechanisms that we can resort to, if necessary, that might buy us a few more days beyond that. But at some point, the money is going to run out.”

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