FRAC Chat

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, an untold number of Asian Americans have been living in fear for their lives. On top of worrying about whether they will become infected with the deadly virus, many Asian Americans also are anxious that they will become one of the growing numbers of victims of racially motivated hate crimes that have been perpetrated against them by racist, xenophobic, and otherwise ignorant people who blame Asian Americans for the pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate alone has logged nearly 3,800 hate crimes since last year, but that figure is likely higher, due to unreported cases, and is expected to grow. Anti-Asian American hate crimes existed before the pandemic, but this spike is unprecedented and its origins can be traced all the way up to the White House.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed that food insecurity was a serious problem on college campuses across the nation, especially among students of color, lower-income students, and students at community colleges. The already too-high rates and harmful consequences of food insecurity have only been exacerbated during the pandemic as college students face disruptions to their learning and employment due to campus closures and the economic downturn. According to a Hope Center survey conducted last spring, about one-third of college students who were employed lost their jobs due to the pandemic. 

If you’ve ever watched “I’m Just a Bill” from Schoolhouse Rock, you’re familiar with the process of how a bill becomes a law. But one thing the animated bill from the video may not have explained is how budget reconciliation works. Congress is currently pursuing budget reconciliation to pass the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package based on President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Before school districts across the country were forced to close their doors in the spring due to COVID-19, the School Breakfast Program was providing much-needed nutrition to just over 12.6 million low-income children on an average school day. from September through February of the 2019–2020 school year, according to FRAC’s annual School Breakfast Scorecard, released yesterday.

During the holidays and all year long, millions of individuals and families who struggle against hunger are able to access healthy food with support from the federal nutrition programs. To celebrate the nation’s nutrition safety net, FRAC is releasing a seven-part “Remember This December” series that will highlight the impact of seven important federal nutrition programs. This year, the federal nutrition programs have played a critical role in ensuring people can continue to put food on the table during the twin COVID-19 public health and economic crises.

This is the seventh installment of the series, which focuses on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).