Blumenthal Applauds President Biden's Economic Relief & Recovery Executive Actions
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) applauded President Joe Biden’s executive actions and the American Rescue Plan proposal to deliver economic relief for Americans and businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic:
“President Biden’s actions will mean immediate relief to millions of struggling Americans and businesses hanging by a thread. In Connecticut, I have seen the devastating impacts of this pandemic visiting food pantries and small businesses. There’s no time to waste in delivering aid.”
“By bolstering food assistance programs and expanding food access for kids missing school meals, fewer vulnerable Americans will go hungry. The Biden Administration’s actions will help quickly deliver direct payments to those who haven’t yet received them, expand unemployment benefits, extend needed financial relief to veterans, and get federal assistance into the hands of Americans more efficiently.”
“Despite such critical steps, legislative action is needed to provide really robust relief through a national rescue strategy. We cannot delay. We must summon bipartisan cooperation.”
Today, President Biden will take several executive actions focused on offering economic relief and recovery to the American people amid the COVID-19 pandemic crises:
Addressing the Hunger Crisis: President Biden will sign an Executive Order asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide nutrition assistance to families by increasing access to food for children missing meals due to school closures, allowing larger emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the lowest-income households, and updating food assistance benefits to reflect the actual cost of a basic healthy diet so Americans who rely on SNAP benefits can afford to buy healthy food.
Ensuring the Equitable and Effective Delivery of Direct Payments to Americans: President Biden will sign an Executive Order asking the Department of Treasury to expand and improve delivery of Economic Impact Payments. This includes establishing online tools for claiming payments, ensuring those who have not yet received these payments get the funds they deserve, and researching unserved households to inform outreach.
Extending Financial Relief for Veterans: President Biden will sign an Executive Order asking the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to consider pausing federal collections on overpayments and debts. VA debt collections were suspended from April through December 31, 2020, and have since resumed.
Expanding Unemployment Insurance: President Biden will sign an Executive Order asking the Department of Labor to clarify that workers have a federally guaranteed right to refuse employment that will jeopardize their health and if they do so, they will still qualify for unemployment insurance.
Creating Coordinated Benefit Delivery Teams: The Biden-Harris Administration is establishing a network of benefit delivery teams and coordinating across federal and state programs to reduce the time and burden of accessing urgent support during this economic crisis. This coordinated structure will ensure families, workers, and small businesses can access relief resources quickly, easily, and equitably.
Protecting and Empowering the Federal Workforce: President Biden will sign an Executive Order to restore collective bargaining power and worker protections for the federal workforce. The President will also eliminate the Trump Administration’s Schedule F, which threatens critical protections for career federal employees and provides a pathway to burrow political appointees into the civil service. The Executive Order also directs the Office of Personnel Management to develop recommendations to pay more federal employees at least $15 per hour. President Biden will also direct his administration to start the work that would allow him to issue an Executive Order within the first 100 days that requires federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage and provide emergency paid leave to workers.
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