Biden administration confirms it will raise food stamps by document sum

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Agriculture Section (USDA) on Monday will announce revised nourishment criteria significantly boosting normal meals stamp advantages, the company verified on Sunday.

The New York Occasions initial documented the strategy to unveil the premier permanent positive aspects improve in the record of the government’s primary anti-starvation method, expressing the change would final result in regular added benefits mounting additional than 25% vs . pre-pandemic concentrations.

Below the new regulations, normal regular positive aspects, $121 for each person before the pandemic, will increase by $36 setting up in Oct, the newspaper claimed, adding that all 42 million folks in the application would acquire additional help.

At the identical time, a temporary 15% raise in added benefits as aspect of pandemic reduction is set to expire Sept. 30. The $3.5 billion boost authorised previously this yr supplies about $27 more for every man or woman, for each thirty day period, or above $100 additional a month for a home of four, in more food stuff stamp rewards.

The USDA ideas a media briefing on Monday to element the adjustments, but a spokeswoman for the company, Kate Waters, confirmed the Times report in an e mail.

Under a 2018 legislation, the agency has been analyzing its policies to estimate the cost of a wholesome diet regime called the Thrifty Food Strategy, which is made use of to estimate food stuff stamp positive aspects, which are formally known as Supplemental Diet Support System (SNAP) positive aspects.

Last 7 days, Residence of Reps Democrats on the Agriculture Committee’s subcommittee overseeing nourishment problems identified as the re-evaluation “a critically crucial action towards ensuring that SNAP added benefits adequately support a wholesome food plan.”

The Democrats additional that “research demonstrates that, when SNAP lessens food insecurity and increases health results for recipients, gains are much too lower to totally meet their dietary requires.”

Last week, the senior congressional Republicans on two agriculture committees requested the Governing administration Accountability Business office to perform an assessment of the USDA’s update of the Thrifty Foodstuff System.

The Moments stated the new plan would raise the $79 billion once-a-year program’s expenditures by about $20 billion versus pre-pandemic degrees.

The USDA stated in 2019 that about 11% of the U.S. populace was included by the software.

Reporting by David Shepardson Modifying by Peter Cooney

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