The Biden administration recently approved the highest increase in food stamps in the program’s history.
Beginning in October, average food stamp benefits will increase by more than 25% over pre-pandemic levels. The extra help will be accessible to all 42 million SNAP recipients indefinitely.
The New York Times was the first to report the increase in aid, and an Agriculture Department spokesman confirmed the specifics. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will make the announcement sometime today.
The aid increase is disguised as a significant change to the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, which means that per-person benefits will increase from $121 to $157 per month.
The boost is part of Biden’s administration’s multi-pronged endeavor to bolster the country’s social safety net. According to poverty and food security advocates, long-standing weaknesses in the safety net were exposed by the COVID-19 epidemic, providing an opportunity to implement generational adjustments that go beyond the current public health crisis.
Activists claim that pre-pandemic SNAP benefits were insufficient, forcing many families to choose cheaper, less nutritious options or go hungry as funding ran out near the end of the month.
