As the government shutdown looms over the holidays, heads of federal agencies and departments overseeing health and public assistance services tweeted that, regardless of what happens in Washington, they were attending, as much as possible, to business as usual.
In a statement over the holiday weekend, Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue said, “There may be a lapse in funding for the federal government, but that will not relieve USDA of its responsibilities for safeguarding life and property through the critical services we provide.”
According to the statement, 61-percent of the Department of Agriculture’s employees have continued to work through the first week of the shutdown, but that number would decrease the longer the shutdown continues.
Eligible households will continue to receive monthly SNAP, or Food Stamps, during the month of January, but other domestic nutrition assistance programs such as the Commodity Supplement Food Program, WIC, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations will only be operational based on available resources. Additional federal funds and commodities will not be provided during the shutdown.
