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President Biden will sign a pair of executive orders on Friday aimed at helping American families and small businesses struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic.
The first decree will attempt to maximize existing federal government resources to support families, with a focus on food assistance for low-income families.
Biden will ask the Department of Agriculture to increase current electronic benefit transfers (EBTs) linked to the pandemic by 15% and to streamline the process by which Americans claim benefits. Additionally, Biden will ask the USDA to increase allocations for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income families.
BIDEN SIGNS 17 EXECUTIVE ORDERS REVERSING TRUMP POLICIES, RESTAURING OBAMA-ERA PROGRAMS
The first ordinance specifies that Americans have the right to keep their food aid benefits if they refuse a job offer that poses a risk to their health. It contains additional assistance measures for military veterans and calls for the creation of an interagency structure to coordinate benefit programs for Americans in need.
The second executive order will aim to provide enhanced protections and benefits to federal workers during the pandemic.
Biden will order his administration to start working on his pledge to pay a minimum wage of $ 15 and emergency paid leave to federal workers within the first 100 days of his tenure. The work will include a review of agencies that currently pay less than $ 15 an hour and recommendations on how best to implement the pay hike.
The ordinance will strengthen the collective bargaining power of federal workers, among other initiatives to ensure they receive appropriate benefits, the new administration said.
Biden officials said the orders were meant to serve as a placeholder until Congress passed another coronavirus stimulus package.
“These actions do not replace complete legislative relief in the form of the US bailout, but they will provide a vital lifeline for millions of American families,” Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, said at a briefing. “And that is why the president is going to act quickly on these steps.”
Earlier this month, Biden presented a $ 1.9 trillion relief plan for consideration in Congress, where Democrats hold effective majorities in both houses. The package includes $ 1,400 in direct payments to Americans, improved unemployment benefits, and federal assistance to state and local governments, among other measures.
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Republican leaders have pushed for “targeted” relief focused on helping small businesses and protecting workplaces from liability during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Progressive Democrats have argued that Biden’s proposal does not go far enough to meet the country’s economic needs and should include payments of $ 2,000.
The executive orders were the latest in a wide range of actions Biden has taken since entering the Oval Office on Wednesday. The president signed 17 orders on his first day in office and 10 more on Thursday that dealt with the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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