President Biden fixed this one in a snap
One of the many ugly hallmarks of Donald Trump’s failed presidency was the rampant and appalling sadism. Although Trump is no longer in a position to hurt the people whom he swore an oath to protect, the cruel policies he set in place continue to harm Americans until they can be cancelled or reversed. Thankfully, President Biden understands this and has been moving quickly to identify and stamp out the noxious orange embers.
Within days of taking office, Biden signed an executive order that would add about $1 billion in monthly food stamp benefits to the lowest-income recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These 25 million people who have been struggling to afford basic food will finally start to see their benefits increase this month.
In March 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which raised food stamp allotments to the maximum amount based on family size. Although approximately $29 billion in additional benefits were distributed under this provision, a whopping 40% of families received no increase because they were getting the largest benefit available at that time. This avoidable tragedy was the result of the Trump administration’s inhumane implementation of the relief provision, according to a report from CNN.
This isn’t the first time that Trump has tried to starve Americans, though thankfully it should be the last time. Before the pandemic hit, Trump tried to institute work requirements for SNAP recipients, which would have disqualified 688,000 people from food benefits. Trump refused to back down from his proposal even when the pandemic hit and forced millions more people into poverty. It took a federal judge to stop Trump’s heartless plan in its tracks.
Biden said it best when signing his executive order in January: “This cannot be who we are as a country. These are not the values of our nation. We cannot—will not—let people go hungry… We have to act.” What a relief it is to have a President of the United States who doesn’t relish the thought of seeing his constituents starve.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month