A man is waist deep in water along flooded Aster Street, which is near the Pawtuxet River, in Rhode Island on Dec. 19, 2023. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
He pointed to two programs that he was concerned about in particular: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"[Democrats are] talking about healthcare. Not only did their counter-proposal say they wanted to cut the rural hospital fund and do all these other things, but what's happening right now in the shutdown is that the WIC program is now unfunded — women, infants and children nutrition. That's not a small thing," Johnson said.
WIC provides free nutrition support to low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under age 5.
On a call with House Republicans held Wednesday, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought warned that WIC could run out of funding within days without a federal funding deal, Fox News Digital was previously told.
FEMA, however, is expected to continue operations through a government shutdown, as it has in the past. But its funding source, the Disaster Relief Fund, relies on a budget that’s allocated by Congress on an annual basis.
A failure to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund could make it more difficult for FEMA to respond in the event of a natural disaster.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walk to speak to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
The House passed a measure to keep the current federal spending levels roughly flat through Nov. 21 to give Congress more time to reach a longer-term deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026. That bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), advanced mostly along party lines.
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But in the Senate, where at least several Democrats are needed to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster, progress has stalled.
Senate Democrats are demanding concessions on healthcare, including an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.
But Republicans have contended that their plan should remain free of any partisan policy riders.
The Senate is likely to hold another vote on the measure, its fourth in total, on Friday.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/real-consequences-food-aid-flood-insurance-fema-funds-jeopardy-amid-shutdown-johnson-says