- VOX
- President Biden signed two executive orders focused on emergency relief Friday, intended to function as a stopgap until Congress considers his $1.9 trillion relief package. [Newsweek / Elizabeth Crisp]
- To address a rise in hunger, Biden is extending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps, so that states can increase food assistance benefits and provide 15 percent larger school meal vouchers to low-income students. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Laura Reilly]
- Congress had left SNAP untouched throughout the pandemic. Biden’s order will allow 12 million people to access greater benefits and direct the Agriculture Department to reassess the qualifications for SNAP, which they say are outdated. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein and Laura Reilly]
- The orders also increase workplace protections. Biden has asked the Labor Department to extend unemployment benefits to people who refuse to work in Covid-unsafe environments and restored a $15 minimum wage and collective bargaining power to workers at federal agencies and contractors. [NBC News / Lauren Egan]
- Biden’s executive actions illustrate the difficulty of passing his $1.9 trillion stimulus package with a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Republicans say the price tag, considering the $900 billion just authorized in December, is a nonstarter. [Politico / Burgess Everett]
- Democrats could pass many goals through budget reconciliation, which allows for simple majorities on appropriations bills. They may also try to expand the definition of what is considered budgetary versus discretionary — a distinction that may come down to the Senate parliamentarian. [Roll Call / Paul Krawzak]
- Using budget reconciliation could set up a showdown between left-wing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the incoming chair of the Senate Budget Committee, and moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), whose vote will be crucial in a 50-50 Senate. [Business Insider / Oma Seddiq]
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