Breaking

Biden signs executive orders on stimulus checks, food stamps and minimum wage - CBS News
Jan 23, 2021 1 min, 50 secs
Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief plan to Congress, but it is unclear whether it will garner enough Republican support to pass on a bipartisan basis.

Department of Agriculture to allow states to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits — commonly known as food stamps — by 15%.

Congress recently passed a $1 trillion relief bill that boosted the maximum SNAP benefit by 15%, but that did not help the 40% of SNAP recipients who were already at the maximum benefit.

Biden's order tells the USDA to "consider issuing new guidance that would allow states to increase SNAP emergency allotments for those who need it most," according to a fact sheet provided by the White House, which would mean that an additional 12 million people get enhanced benefits.

The order would also increase Pandemic-EBT, an electronic debit card program for students who would have qualified for free or reduced-price meals at school.

Biden is directing the USDA to "consider issuing new guidance increasing P-EBT benefits by approximately 15% to accurately reflect the costs of missing meals and make it easier for households to claim benefits." According to the White House, this could provide a family with three children an additional $100 in support per month.

Under the order, the USDA would also reassess the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis for determining SNAP benefits.

According to the fact sheet from the White House, the plan "is out of date with the economic realities most struggling households face when trying to buy and prepare healthy food.".

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research institute, reported that nearly one in five adults with children reported that their families sometimes or often didn't have enough to eat in the last seven days according to data collected from the USDA between December 9-21.

A 2019 analysis by the USDA Economic Research Service found that a $1 billion increase in SNAP benefits could increase the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $1.54 billion and support nearly 14,000 jobs.

Biden also issued a second executive order to improve collecting bargaining power and protections for federal workers, and direct the Office of Personnel Management to develop recommendations to increase the minimum wage for federal employees to $15 per hour

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED