January 22, 2021

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on President Biden’s Latest Executive Action to Combat Hunger and Protect Workers

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, released a statement applauding President Biden’s latest Executive Orders aimed at combatting hunger and protecting workers as we continue to fight back the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. 

“In the face of this public health and economic crisis and in its first days in office, the Biden-Harris administration is already delivering the help and leadership that we need to crush the virus and make it to the other side of this pandemic. President Biden’s executive orders will take an all-of-government approach to providing urgently needed relief to struggling families.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, over eight million people have fallen into the ranks of the working poor. These swift actions from the Biden administration will address the growing hunger crisis that is impacting 29 million people, including 12 million children. I have long worked in my role on the Appropriations Committee and on the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity to expand and extend federal nutrition assistance programs, and the Biden administration is heeding our calls.

“These executive actions will also seek to efficiently deliver direct payments and ensure that workers who refuse to work in unsafe conditions are still eligible for unemployment insurance. This action is long overdue, and it’s an important step in our fight to address hunger, but much more needs to be done. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the new administration to provide relief to working families.”

To read more about the Executive Orders, click here.