Positive Changes to SNAP Under New Administration
Since President Elect Joe Biden took office earlier this month, he has since made many executive orders to address food insecurity during the current ongoing pandemic. Food insecurity currently affects 29 million adults and 12 million children in the United States. With over 43 million Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, otherwise known as SNAP, President Biden has pledged to tackle hunger by increasing food assistance benefits for households most affected during the pandemic.
President Joe Biden called for congressional action earlier in January to address food insecurity across the country as part of his American Rescue Plan Proposal. His plan seeks to increase SNAP and WIC budgets during the pandemic, and address food insecurity for school-age children. He is calling for an additional $1B increase in nutritional assistance funding, an additional $3B towards the WIC Program, extending the 15% increase in SNAP benefits beyond June 2021, and additionally supporting restaurants as an integral part of feeding families throughout America. Biden is also calling for a budget increase for the P-EBT program which provides qualifying households with financial credits for meals for their school age children due to school closures. While these changes won’t eliminate food insecurity as a whole, it is a step towards fighting food insecurity and eliminating barriers to adequate food access during a global pandemic.
|