D.C. Mayor Bowser says residents will receive SNAP and WIC benefits in November

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said Thursday that the city will fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the separate Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program 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 every month,” Bowser said in a statement Thursday.

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

SNAP benefits are set to expire on Saturday while WIC is only funded for the first week of November. In the district, 85,000 households, made up 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 plans to use $29 million in SNAP funding amid the shutdown and $1.5 million for WIC.

The total $1 million allocated to WIC will cover direct benefits, while $500,000 will consist of grants to nonprofit organizations “and employee and non-employee services necessary to operate the program.”

Bowser’s office says emergency funds will be replenished in her budget submitted to the House DC Council for the year 2026.