Anti-Hunger Advocates Praise Biden's American Families Plan

The Biden Administration announced today a proposed expansion of child nutrition programs and increased funding for child care for low-income Americans through the new American Families Plan. The $1.8 trillion proposal sets aside $45 billion for nutrition programs including $25 billion for school meals and an expansion of the Summer Pandemic-EBT program. USDA announced this week that it will be allowing states to provide Pandemic-EBT to low-income families through the summer months. $17 billion in the American Families Plan is also slated to assist formerly incarcerated individuals have access to SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) and to boost free meals for kids. The proposal also includes $225 billion to fund child care programs, particularly for low- and middle-income families and to boost wages for child care workers to a $15 per hour minimum.

In response to the release of the American Families Plan proposal, Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a nationwide nonpartisan direct service and advocacy organization, said:

"The American Families Plan is both common sense and compassionate. Not only would it take big steps to further cut child hunger, but it would also reduce poverty by rewarding work and bolstering education. Any member of Congress that's truly 'pro-family' should support it. Making child care affordable will also reduce hunger, both by making it easier for parents to work and by reducing the overall costs of living for working families. The proposals outlined in the American Families Plan will transform the lives of tens of millions of low- and middle-income households and put our country on a better path as we recover from the pandemic."