Government Shutdown Affects Georgia's Infants

By: Andrew Hall

Georgia federal funded companies have taken a hit in this current government shutdown. The government shutdown has affected road work, jobs , and WIC are programs in Georgia that are being affected greatly by the government's actions. Unlike SNAP, otherwise known as "food stamps" program the government will not be providing funds for parents of infants needing WIC assistance.

No new applicants may apply to the program, while the clients who are already approved will be provided with services through the reserve funds until those funds run out. This will put a lot of new parents in a difficult position when it comes to providing proper nutrition for their children.

The WIC program that is being cut off due to the government shutdown affects many women, children, and infants that need this service to provide nutrition.. The WIC program allows families to get free nutritional foods for their children and infants. These healthy food choices are expensive and not always able to purchase due to individual financial standings. 

I believe that for the government to be taking things away from the citizens shouldn't start with taking away nutrition from our children because they sure did not cut the prison systems food or the government officials pay.

According to library.clerk.house.gov/reference-files, House Of Representatives report an average salary of $1,446,009.10. They should think about taking a cut in their pay other than taking nutritional foods out of the mouths of upcoming American infants and babies. Obesity is at an all time high in America and this is doing nothing but enabling the problem. 


Georgia Health News, a nonprofit health journalism group, reported in August that Georgia was 20th in obese states in America. Taking nutrition out of the children's diet early will give them no future knowledge of proper foods to eat for those who cannot afford proper nutrition. 


How does the government take away a service funded by the state and then strip citizens of their state jobs, just does not feel like justice and proper decision making.


This WIC program being cut affects Americans from infants to adults when the goal for the government is to provide the public with a better life not a more difficult one. So in the end I feel that the government could have found a better program to cut other than this one because I do not see any good concluding from out of work employees, struggling parents, and unhealthy children.