President Joe Biden will sign two executive orders on Friday aimed primarily at
speeding up the delivery of aid checks
to families who need it most and
increasing food aid for children
who, in normal times, depend on school meals, according to announced the White House.
Biden also seeks to clear the way for federal workers to have a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour.
[Biden launches pandemic action plan with 10 executive orders for more vaccines, masks and reopening of schools]
These executive orders are an interim measure for millions of families as Congress evaluates its $ 1.9 trillion relief plan to help those affected by the pandemic.
"The American people cannot afford to wait," said Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council.
"Many are hanging by a thread. They need help, and we are committed to doing everything we can to provide that help as quickly as possible," he added.
Deese stressed that the orders
are not a substitute for the additional stimulus
that Biden says is needed beyond those approved under the previous Administration.
President Joe Biden signs an executive order as part of his Administration's plans to fight the coronavirus pandemic, while Vice President Kamala Harris stands at the White House in Washington, United States, on January 21, 2121 REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
In the first order, Biden will ask the Treasury Department to consider taking steps to expand and
improve the delivery of stimulus checks, such
as establishing online tools to claim payments.
"Many Americans struggled to receive the first round of direct payments and as many as eight million eligible households did not receive payments issued in March," notes a White House fact sheet.
In addition, Biden will ask the Department of Agriculture to
increase by 15% a food assistance program for COVID-19
that provides nutritional assistance to families with children who normally have access to free or very low-cost meals in normal times.
This help could provide a family with three children with more than $ 100 of extra help every two months.
It will also ask this department to expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - commonly known as food stamps - to include people with the lowest income levels, according to a fact sheet provided by the White House. .
[Biden presents a budget plan with a new $ 1,400 aid check, tax breaks, and a $ 15 minimum wage hike]
The second executive order that Biden is expected to sign will revoke orders signed by former President Donald Trump to restore collective bargaining power and ask federal agencies to pay a
minimum wage of $ 15 an
hour.
The federal minimum wage is at $ 7.25 an hour since 2009.
Biden will also ask this department to allow workers who reject a job for fear of health risks to qualify for unemployment benefits.
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Several Republican lawmakers have voiced their opposition to the provisions of the Biden plan regarding direct payments to individuals, aid to state and local governments and a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour nationwide.
The economic challenge facing incoming President Joe Biden became even more apparent on the second day of his term when the Labor Department reported that 900,000 people first applied for unemployment benefits, a lower number than the previous week. But it's still extraordinarily high compared to pre-pandemic numbers.
With information from NBC News, AP, Reuters and CNBC.
