Poor Families Taking A Hit From Government Shutdown

Poor Families Taking A Hit From Government Shutdown
Lukas Green, 2, sits on the counter at Al's Food Store in Casselberry, Florida, October 5, 2009, while his mother shops. The store accepts WIC checks and carries fresh fruit as part of changes in the program offering fresher and healthier food. (Photo by Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)
Lukas Green, 2, sits on the counter at Al's Food Store in Casselberry, Florida, October 5, 2009, while his mother shops. The store accepts WIC checks and carries fresh fruit as part of changes in the program offering fresher and healthier food. (Photo by Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)

A certain shutdown narrative has become all-too-familiar: It is holding us back from gazing at the National Zoo’s pandas throughout the day and perusing the halls and walkways of our national museums and parks.

But for millions of the nations poor, the situation could soon be far more serious, and simply moving a gate or clicking on a link to another video won’t solve their problems.

Though many of the programs that provide assistance to needy families and individuals like food stamps, Medicaid, and Medicare will continue running during the shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is barely holding on.

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