DC Mayor Bowser says residents will receive SNAP, WIC benefits in November

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) on Thursday said the city will fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the separate program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for the month of November amid the government shutdown.

“We know that SNAP and WIC play a critical role in helping thousands of Washingtonians, and millions of Americans, put food on the table each month,” Bowser said in a Thursday statement. 

“We were hopeful it wouldn’t come to this — and we still need the federal government to reopen as soon as possible — but for right now, we’re moving forward to ensure we take care of DC residents in November,” she added.

SNAP benefits are set to lapse on Saturday while WIC has only been funded for the first week of November. In the District, 85,000 households, consisting of 141,000 individuals, rely on SNAP each month, according to the mayor's office.

More than 12,500 Washingtonians in 8,300 households benefit from WIC.

Bowser is planning to use $29 million to fund SNAP amid the shutdown and $1.5 million for WIC.

A total of $1 million allocated for WIC will cover direct benefits, while $500,000 will consist of grants to nonprofits "and personnel and non-personnel services necessary to run the program." 

Bowser’s office says contingency funds will be replenished in her budget submitted to the D.C. Council for 2026.