WASHINGTON — A nutrition program for low-income mothers and their babies came within hours of closing in Arkansas as the federal government appeared to be headed for a shutdown. But a last-minute deal between President Barack Obama’s administration and Gov. Mike Beebe freed up enough money to keep the aid flowing for at least another week, officials said.
The federally funded Women, Infants & Children program, which is run in Arkansas by the state Department of Health, provides baby formula, milk, bread, eggs and other groceries to pregnant women, mothers and children under the age of 5 who fall below the poverty line.
State officials announced Monday that the program, which serves nearly 90,000 Arkansans and is known as WIC, would be temporarily halted in the event of a government shutdown.
Beebe released a statement blasting Congress for its inability to pass a budget: “The inability of Congress to do its most basic job will put many Arkansans out of work and leave Arkansas children in peril.
“Two thousand newborn babies will not receive infant formula through the Department of Health’s WIC program. That number includes the more than 300 special-needs babies who soon run out of special formula they can only receive through a certified program like WIC,” the statement said.
But later Monday, Beebe tweeted an update, stating: “The USDA is helping the Arkansas Department of Health with funds to keep WIC programs at full staff for at least a week.”
Health Department spokesman Ed Barham confirmed that a program shutdown had been averted, at least for now.
“We have negotiated with the federal government for an arrangement that would allow funding for services and positions in the WIC program for another week. It will be re-evaluated on a week-by-week basis,” Barham said. “It’s a tremendous relief.”
The reprieve means 1,663 newborn babies can be added to the rolls as scheduled, said Cathy Flanagan, another department spokesman. Additionally, tens of thousands of Arkansans will continue to receive program vouchers.
Beebe has ruled out using state money to offset federal cutbacks.
“We don’t have additional funds available to bail out the federal government,” said Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample.
If the funding runs out, the Health Department will instruct needy families to seek assistance from food banks.
Rhonda Sanders, the CEO of the Arkansas Foodbank, said nearly 20 percent of Arkansans need food assistance, with young mothers and children most at-risk. “If this funding is withheld, suddenly you have families with a huge hole,” Sanders said. “They need cereal. Can’t get it. Milk. Can’t get it.”
The Arkansas Foodbank will begin its food-drive season earlier than normal in order to handle the greater demand.
“If this lasts two weeks, we’ll be able to handle it,” she said, adding, “It’s not going to be very far down the road [before] you’re going to see empty shelves.”
Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican who represents the 3rd District and sits on the House Appropriations Committee, criticized the shutdown in an emailed statement.
“Shutting down the government will be painful, especially for some of our most vulnerable populations. It is not in the best interest of Arkansans, and I cannot advocate for it,” the statement said. Womack voted in favor of the controversial House amendments that tied the continued government funding to defunding the new health care law, which were defeated in the Senate.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., criticized the shutdown, but also the instinct to fund government on a temporary basis.
“A continuing resolution is not the right way to fund the government. We need to get back to responsible governing and passing appropriations bills so we can eliminate the threat of interruptions in government services,” he said in a statement.