Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children, made the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s revision of the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan today — a move that will increase benefits for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by more than 25% above pre-pandemic levels, the largest increase in the program’s history and the first time the purchasing power of the Thrifty Food Plan has changed since it was first introduced in 1975.

“SNAP is the first line of defense against food insecurity for 15.8 million children and we applaud the Biden Administration for investing in it. This past year, during an unprecedented dual public health and economic crisis, nearly 1% of households with children reported that their kids went hungry, skipped a meal, or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food. Ensuring that our children have access to the healthy food that they need to grow and learn should be an essential priority for our nation. We thank Secretary Vilsack and the President for continuing to support this vital resource for millions of families.”