The United States Department of Agriculture, who funds the Women, Infants, and Children program, teamed up with Mississippi’s Department of Health in order to provide funding for an additional month. “This gives us some breathing room,” Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Health Officer. WIC is a program that provides supplemental nutrition for women who are pregnant, nursing, or postpartum, as well as infants, children, and young children, under five years old. WIC has 95 distribution centers and 95,000 clients who are served monthly in the state. The Department of Health would have to stop funding WIC services if the USDA did not reach a deal. According to the USDA’s website, funding for other USDA nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program and school lunch programs will continue through January. The Department of Agriculture will continue to provide meat, poultry, and processed egg inspection services. Inspections of food imports, exports, and other inspections will also be continued during the shutdown. Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture, stated that while there may be a shortfall in federal funding, it will not excuse USDA from its responsibility for protecting life and property by providing critical services. “… During a shutdown we will use our existing resources as much as possible to continue providing the top-notch services people expect.”