According to the UN Hunger Report, 1 in 10 households have reported a shortage of food, especially when compared to wealthier communities. Therefore, the Biden campaign is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that plans to reserve tens of billions of dollars in aid for these households. This campaign has been highly acclaimed for its large scale ambition and its legislative and administrative actions. For example, according to reporter Jason De Parle, the campaign “plans to increase food stamps by over $1 billion per month, provide needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expand allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorize the largest children’s summer feeding program in history”.
“We must address the growing hunger crisis”, explains Biden. “There are car lines extending miles just to get a box of food”. He had ordered the Agriculture Department to reserve money to fund this campaign to end hunger. De Parle reports that “this is an extraordinary shift in the politics of poverty-driven, paradoxically, by both the spread of hardship to more working class and white families and the growing recognition of poverty’s disproportionate toll on minorities”.
The Biden effort marks a drastic change from the previous administration, which relied on harsh work rules rather than providing aid for communities. Still, the campaign is gaining attacks by conservative groups stating that the program undercuts work and marriage. They also argue that the government has spent vast sums to expand other programs and that Congress has substantially raised food stamp benefits before the pandemic. “This has been on the agenda of Democrats and left-leaning advocacy groups for a long time”, said conservative commentator Angela Rachidi. “They’re expanding programs that discourage work and encourage dependency”.
Most Americans, however, are pleased that the Biden Administration is taking one step closer to ending world hunger. “I may not be Black or poverty stricken, but I know this campaign will end hunger as well as re-evaluate policies to ensure racial fairness”, says Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack. “I don’t even know how to explian it. It’s like a physical relief. I just knew everything would be OK”, said Indianapolis mother Ms. Kirby. Even economist James P. Ziliak provided his input on the policy: “We haven’t seen an expansion of food assistance of this magnitude since the founding of the modern food stamp program in 1977. Truly a profound change”.
