‘HANGING BY A THREAD’

Biden Will Order Immediate Action to Get Food to Hungry Families

The president will reportedly sign an executive order to increase food-stamp benefits for the estimated 29 million adults and 8 million children going hungry.

President Joe Biden has signed off on an avalanche of executive orders since he took office on Wednesday—but this latest one could have the most immediate impact for millions of American families. According to NPR, the president will on Friday sign an order to increase food-stamp benefits for the estimated 29 million adults and 8 million children going hungry as COVID-19 continues to ravage the jobs market. Biden will ask the Agriculture Department—which oversees food stamps—for a 15 percent increase in emergency benefits given to families whose kids would typically be given meals at school. The president’s top economic adviser Brian Deese said the new measures will help families that are “hanging by a thread.” Biden will also request that emergency food benefits be opened up to some 12 million of the lowest-income food-stamp recipients, and bring in protections to stop unemployed workers from losing their benefits if they reject a job because it presents a substantial risk of getting sick.