Bread Applauds Senate Passage of the American Rescue Plan COVID Relief Bill
Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today applauded Senate passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The legislation contains numerous provisions that will help people who are struggling with hunger and poverty. Bread urged the House to immediately pass the amended bill and for President Joe Biden to quickly sign it into law.
“We are thankful the Senate has joined the House of Representatives in passing this much-needed bill,” said Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World. “The American Rescue Plan will help the millions of people who continue struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. Just as importantly the bill will cut child poverty nearly in half – giving parents and children new hope and better opportunities.”
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey reports that 1 in 7 families with children in the U.S. are not getting enough to eat because they cannot afford it. The UN World Food Program warns that 270 million people globally could face extreme hunger this year.
Bread supported many of the provisions in the bill that address hunger and poverty. These include the extensions of the 15 percent increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the pandemic unemployment insurance programs, the expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), debt relief for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (Black, Latino, Indigenous, and others), and robust funding for the international COVID-19 response, among others.
“God calls us to meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable due to the impacts of hunger and poverty. The one-year expansion of the CTC will do more to reduce hunger among our nation’s children than any single policy has in decades,” added Cho.
Tools
from our Resource Library
For Education
FAQ: Hunger Crisis in Afghanistan
Afghanistan would be considered likely to have high rates of hunger because at least two of the major causes of global hunger affect it—armed conflict and fragile governmental institutions.
Global Malnutrition Fact Sheet 2021
Malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under 5. Every year, the world loses hundreds of thousands of young children and babies to hunger-related causes.
MEMO ON THE HIGH RETURNS OF INVESTING IN A 1,000 DAYS INFRASTRUCTURE
Bread for the World is calling on the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to build a better 1,000-Days infrastructure in the United States.
For Faith
Finding Hope, Ending Hunger on Both Sides of the Border: A Bilingual Latino Devotional
Devotional writers challenge us to feel the Spirit of God within us and to hear God’s urgent call to demand justice so all can put food on the table.The Bible on Health as a Hunger Issue
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
The Bible on...
Faith Leaders' Unity Declaration on Racism and Poverty
A diverse body of Christian leaders calls on the churches and Congress to focus on the integral connection.
For Advocacy
Fact Sheet: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact Sheet: Why We Need $200 Million for Global Nutrition Programs
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition.
Fact Sheet: Hunger by the Numbers
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.