Written by: Nathaniel Mannor
President Biden expanded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by increasing food stamps via executive order. The Biden Administration’s move is the most significant addition to food stamps in U.S. history (25% increase) and could cost taxpayers $20 billion per year for the program alone. These benefits are also permanent even as the pandemic wanes and subsides.
GOP Congressman James Comer (R-KY) and Don Bacon (R-NE) authored a letter to Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, explaining that “Taxpayer-funded SNAP assists low-income Americans in meeting their nutrition need…But based on recent actions, the Biden Administration is abusing its authority and expanding SNAP—without congressional authorization.”
The White House claimed that the average benefit per person would rise from $121 to $157 per month. They also stated that boosting benefits helps recipients provide healthy food for their families. But Comer and Bacon refuted both claims, citing a 2018 study showing how low-income families who received food stamps ate less healthily than those without government assistance. Additionally, the representatives pointed out that the maximum welfare for a family of four is $835, well over the $537 the average family of four spent on food during 2019.
So why is the Biden Admin dramatically expanding SNAP? It’s because right now, the Democrats are very unpopular. Between CRT and the Afghanistan embarrassment, Joe Biden needs to cement a 2022 victory in Congress by buying voters with government welfare. This leads the individual to rely on the government and therefore become susceptible to leftists’ influence. Biden and the Dems are headed for a “shellacking,” as Obama put it, so he has to ram through his radical legislation before his presidency ends in 2022.
Photo from: ABC 7
