Federal programs support millions of children with educational opportunities, health care, nutrition, child care, economic security, and other life staples.
When the federal government shuts down, it threatens the stability of these programs, which can delay benefits, close offices, and put children at risk of going without essential supports. The uncertainty caused by shutdowns not only can disrupt daily life for families, but also undermine the long-term progress these programs are designed to achieve. Children whose parents work in the federal government are forced to survive without those paychecks until Congress and the White House can agree on a solution.
The Trump Administration has announced plans for mass firings during any shutdown as a way to advance its goal of downsizing government – already too many families are feeling financial hardship from layoffs across the government. Aside from the immediate effects of a shutdown highlighted below, further cuts to the federal workforce would hurt children by making it even more difficult for government agencies to effectively carry out their missions of supporting children and families.
There is no scenario in which a federal shutdown is good for kids. Congress needs to sharpen its pencils and get to work in a bipartisan fashion that centers children and ensures that they receive the support they need, fully and in a timely manner.
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
WIC has limited contingency funding, meaning the more than 6.5 million moms, babies and others who rely on the program for fresh fruits and vegetables, infant formula, nutritional supplements, whole grains, and other healthy foods will be left without this critical support soon after the government shuts down.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
During recent shutdowns, including the one in 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture crafted contingency plans that protected children’s nutrition benefits through SNAP. The longer the shutdown, however, the greater the strain on any contingency funds. The current shutdown is the first to occur since the reconciliation bill H.R. 1 shifted SNAP costs to the states in the near future, a situation that could make them hesitant — or simply unable — to weather a shutdown using their own resources.
Other nutrition programs
The National School Lunch and school breakfast programs also have contingency funds, so children’s meals at school won’t be affected right away. But these contingencies won’t last forever, meaning the longer a shutdown lasts, the likelier it becomes that children could go hungry at school, which has negative effects on their ability to learn. Likewise for the Child and Adult Care Food Program — a contingency reserve will run dry after a few weeks, leaving children without the nutritious food they need to thrive.
Early Childhood Programs
Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which provide early learning opportunities that children rely on, are discretionary programs that require appropriated funding from Congress in order to operate. Though not all Head Start families will experience immediate impacts from a short-term shutdown, a handful of Head Start programs have grant cycles that begin on October 1, which means they are likely to experience disruptions. A prolonged shutdown will harm children and families in Head Start and CCDBG by preventing distribution of grant funds, which could shutter classrooms and create financial uncertainty for the local and state organizations that operate them and for their already underpaid employees.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF block grants provide cash assistance, job training and other services for low-income families. The program operates with federal funding and state provided “Maintenance of Effort” (MOE) funds required to receive the federal grants. Congress has relied on temporary extensions for years and TANF funding has not increased since 1996, meaning in practical terms, the federal government has provided less support to states each year because of inflation. States could potentially weather a short shutdown by using unspent TANF funds from the previous year, though this option is in question: a recent memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said “Agency plans should not “repurpose” balances or assume use of transfer authorities. Any exceptions must be requested of OMB, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.” Even if granted authority by OMB relatively quickly, a prolonged shutdown would interrupt payments to children and families who rely on TANF’s cash assistance to make ends meet.
Social Security
Social Security serves 2.5 million children who have lost a parent. While Social Security payments are not expected to be disrupted during a government shutdown, service at field offices will be significantly impacted as fewer staff are available to assist customers and process new applications for benefits.
Housing
More than 155,000 children are already at risk of housing instability due to proposed funding cuts in current appropriation proposals from the White House, Senate, and House. None of the proposed spending bills provides sufficient funding to renew all existing housing choice vouchers (HCVs) or emergency housing vouchers (EHVs). A government shutdown would further exacerbate the strain on this federally-operated voucher system, leading to delayed voucher renewals or the loss of vouchers entirely. Whether the shutdown is brief or drags on, children and their families are at risk of potential homelessness.
K-12 Education
While most K-12 education programs receive funding that spans into the next fiscal year, four key programs — Title I, Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction, funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Career and Technical Education grants — are not slated to receive the remainder of their funding until the start of FY 2026, which begins Oct. 1. A shutdown could delay delivery of these funds. States would likely be able to keep schools open in the short term, but many would begin to experience shortfalls within weeks, forcing layoffs and other consequences. Local school districts need certainty to budget and pay for services and staff throughout the school year, and a shutdown would threaten their ability to do that.
In addition, a long-term federal Government shutdown would impact the funding and technical assistance for out-of-school time providers, negatively affecting the programs and staff and the youth and families they serve.