Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today congratulated President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and urged Congress to take immediate action on the proposals put forward by the administration. The following statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World:
“Bread for the World congratulates President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris and wishes them a successful presidency at this pivotal moment in our history. Marking the beginning of his first 100 days in office, President Biden and his administration have put forth proposals on COVID relief and immigration reform that will help address hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. The COVID-relief package includes many provisions advocated by Bread including an extension of both unemployment insurance and a 15 percent increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through at least September. It also provides an additional $1,400 per-person direct stimulus payment and temporarily expands the Child Tax and Earned Income Tax credits. Finally, the package proposes $11 billion in crucial funding for the global response to COVID-19 to address the global health and hunger crisis and support efforts to distribute medical aid for the pandemic.
“The proposal to address our broken immigration system would allow DACA recipients and other individuals who have made immeasurable contributions to our nation an opportunity to provide for their families and strengthen our society over the long-term. Millions of immigrant workers struggling with hunger and poverty have been on the frontlines during the pandemic – putting their health at risk. Humane immigration policies would give them the chance to sustain their families, put food on the table, and live a life of dignity and respect. We therefore urge Congress to immediately take bipartisan action to pass the proposed COVID relief package and implement long overdue comprehensive immigration reform.
“Bread looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration and Congress on these and other important priorities to bring about the end of hunger.”
