Congressional action will not be needed to ensure that families who are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children can still receive benefits.

According to a release from the Mississippi State Department of Health, the offices across the state will remain open through January. That promise was made even if action is not taken by Congress concerning the current government shutdown, the release states.

That is because enough funding was granted to MSDH as part of a working relationship with the United States Department of Agriculture for the 2019 fiscal year to keep all 95 of the state’s locations open.

Currently, more than 95,000 clients in the state receive benefits through the program, the release states.

“With this allowance by the USDA, we can ensure WIC operations without disruptions through at least the end of January, if not even an additional few weeks in February,” said MSDH State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs in a press release.

WIC is a supplemental program for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or post-partum and for their children who are younger than 5.