The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an enormous amount of government spending, both under President Donald Trump and his successor, Joe Biden. However, most of the economic assistance programs created during the pandemic–three stimulus checks, increased unemployment benefits, and an expanded Child Tax Credit–have been framed as temporary relief measures that will be ended after the pandemic has abated.

However, starting on October 1, all beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)–mostly known as “food stamps”–will receive a twenty-five percent increase in their monthly benefits, the single largest increase in the program’s history. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the changes on Monday, issuing a statement that laid out the increases and attempted to justify their financial cost.

Forty-two million Americans, the number of SNAP recipients, are expected to benefit from the increases. The twenty-five percent increase brings the average SNAP benefit in the United States to $157 per month, up from $121 per month.

According to Vilsack, the change was brought about by a re-evaluation of the Thrifty Food Plan, the benchmark by which the USDA determines what the level of SNAP benefits should be. This analysis was conducted with four factors in consideration: the cost of food, the amount of nutrients in the food, the average American’s diet, and nutrition guidance provided by the USDA. The twenty-five percent increase is expected to translate to a seven percent increase in daily caloric intake, but a substantial increase in the quality of the food with regard to health. Vilsack described the changes as “an investment in our nation’s health, economy, and security,” hailing the positive economic impacts of a healthier society and possible job gains from the program.

While many activists have hailed the changes as a considerable improvement for the well-being of poorer Americans, some have emphasized several areas of ongoing shortcomings that they argue should be addressed. For instance, SNAP benefits are not adjusted by region, despite some areas of the United States having substantially higher food costs than others.

As with other assistance programs, SNAP benefits were first increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, when extra benefits were approved by President Donald Trump in April 2020. However, Trump’s upgrades to the SNAP program were regarded as a temporary measure in response to the demands of the pandemic. The increase under Biden is slated to be permanent.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters