As part of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus package, President-elect Joe Biden said on Thursday that the 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits approved last month should be extended through the end of this year. The increase is scheduled to expire on June 30.
“We will … tackle the growing hunger crisis in America,” said Biden in announcing his American Rescue Plan. “We will extend emergency nutrition assistance for 43 million children and families enrolled in the SNAP program through the rest of this year. And we will help hard-hit restaurants prepare meals for the hungry and provide food for families who need it.”
In a summary of the package, the Biden transition said higher SNAP benefits are “a crucial backstop against rising food insecurity.” Childhood hunger spikes during the summer, when school meals are unavailable to most children in low-income households.
The package also would add $3 billion in a “multiyear investment” to the WIC program to meet increased enrollment due to hunger during the pandemic. In addition, $1 billion in nutrition assistance would be directed to Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
A FEMA program would “leverage the resources and expertise of the restaurant industry to help get food to people who need it and help get laid-off restaurant workers back on the job,” said the summary.
Biden’s prepared remarks are available here.
A 19-page summary of the package is available here.