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The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced that it will be increasing food stamp benefits for low-income Americans and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. The Center for American Progress has indicated that the Trump administration’s $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package was passed in March 2020. It excluded about 12 million families or 40% of SNAP beneficiaries from an increase in food assistance. The executive order of President Biden aims to close that gap. The Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese said, “Nearly 30 million Americans last week said they didn’t have enough food”. Point to be noted that Joe Biden will ask the Department of Agriculture to increase current pandemic-related EBTs (electronic benefit transfers) by 15%.

President Biden will also ask the USDA to increase its SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) allotments for those 12 million low-income families. Deese added, “With the changes, an eligible family with three children would get an additional $100 over 2-months to help pay for food, representing a 15% to 20% increase in SNAP benefits”. Biden’s 2^nd executive order will also deliver a $15 minimum wage and 2-weeks of paid emergency leave to federal workers within his first 100 days in office. Deese also said, “The work will include a review of which agencies currently pay less than $15/ hour and make recommendations about how best to implement the wage hike. Workers who refuse employment that they believe would jeopardize their health will still quality for unemployment benefits”.

Deese also added, “This is a step to make sure workers have a right to a safe work environment and we don’t put them in the middle of a pandemic in a position where they have to choose between their own livelihoods and the health of their sic and their families”. He also confirmed that the two executive orders are separate from a $1.9 trillion stimulus package proposal Biden introduced last week that includes more than  $1 trillion in direct relief for individuals and families to help combat COVID-19 and boost the economy. The President and CEO of the Job Creators Network, Alfredo Ortiz also criticized the 2^nd executive order and said, “Cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline, rejoining the Paris Accord and a $15 minimum wage will devastate our economy at a time when we’re already on the brink of recession. It could eliminate up to 3.7 million jobs if Biden succeeds in imposing a $15 minimum wage on the entire economy”.