The Government’s Responsibility to Families: A Statement from CSSP President and CEO Leonard Burton

Washington, DC (October 31, 2025)—At its core, the role of government is simple—to protect people, promote public welfare, and improve lives. Children, young people, and families in the United States should be able to access health care, food, housing, child care, and other basic necessities without worrying about how they will pay for it, or whether it will drive them into debt.  

By allowing critical nutrition and child care programs to lapse during the current government shutdown, this administration is failing its most basic duty. 

Because of this administration’s actions, starting November 1:   

• 42 million families and children who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will stop receiving benefits that keep them nourished. As we approach Veterans Day, about 1.2 million veterans who live in households that participate in SNAP will be among those losing the food benefit.  

• 100 Head Start Programs serving almost 65,000 children will close their doors.   

• Nearly 7 million pregnant women, new moms, and young children will begin losing access to WIC and the nutritional support they need.   

It does not have to be this way. Families have historically been able to access these critical programs during government shutdowns—and today’s should be no different.   

After all, programs like the SNAP, WIC, and Head Start are not just lines in the federal budget; they are lifelines for individuals, families, and young people whose finances are precarious, and whose lives may already be disrupted by job loss, housing instability, or illness. These programs provide the consistent support and daily stability children need to grow and thrive.   

The administration should do everything in its power to keep these programs operating now, and it should work with Congress to roll back the disastrous cuts to health care and other programs that meet families’ basic needs that will cause even greater hardship for children and families in the months and years to come. 

At CSSP, we believe progress is always possible, but only if we stand up for it. Now is the time to do just that.