Biden Administration To Boost Food Stamps Benefits By 25 Percent
Some 42 million low-income Americans will see a permanent increase in their food stamp assistance by the largest margin in the program’s history, the Associated Press reported.
A Department of Agriculture spokesperson confirmed that in October the average benefit would increase more than 25 percent above pre-pandemic levels. The Biden administration was set to announce the details on Monday (Aug. 16).
The boost to the SNAP, as the food stamp program is officially known, is part of the president’s plan to strengthen the social safety net that the COVID-19 pandemic seriously damaged. High levels of unemployment at the height of the pandemic force many families, for the first time, to depend on food pantries.
Under the increase, the average monthly per-person benefits would climb from $121 to $157, according to the AP.
