Millions of mothers and children could lose nutritional assistance as soon as Nov. 1

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published October 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM EDT

As the government shutdown grinds on, funds are running out for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC, a federal program that provides millions of vulnerable mothers and their children with key nutritional assistance.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Omaha Nation WIC director Jessika Free-Bass.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Related Content

Why an interstellar comet has scientists excited

Jaclyn Diaz

The comet could be older than our solar system. The comet is also distinct because nickel vapor was detected in the gas surrounding it.
The federal government is still shut down. Here's what that means across the country

The NPR Network

The federal government shutdown continues. Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to an agreement to end it. Many federal workers are missing full paychecks and don't know when they will resume.
Judge sentences former Jan. 6 defendant for hoax threat near Obama's home

Carrie Johnson

Taylor Taranto's sentencing for time served comes as storming of the U.S. Capitol in 2021 continues to reverberate inside the Justice Department under the Trump administration.
Go behind the scenes at a New Jersey Spirit Halloween store

Student Podcast Challenge

Each year, about 1,400 Spirit Halloween shops pop up across the U.S. Two student journalists, Isabel Jacobson and Adam Sanders, visited their local shop to meet the spirited employees who work there.
King Charles III strips Prince Andrew of his titles and evicts him from the Royal Lodge

The Associated Press

Buckingham Palace said the king's brother will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and not as a prince, and he will move from his Royal Lodge residence into "private accommodation."

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.