Since January 20, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration has been on a mission to Build Back Better. From the American Rescue Plan to the American Jobs Plan and now with the introduction of the American Families Plan, action has been taken to provide relief to the American people, and the necessary investments have been made to rescue and begin to rebuild our economy.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has worked over the last 100 Days to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, promote racial justice and equity, address the mounting hunger and nutrition insecurity crisis, rebuild the rural economy, strengthen and build fairer markets for farmers and producers, and address the impacts of climate change through climate-smart practices. As a result, food insecurity and poverty rates are falling, agricultural markets and export opportunities are flourishing, agricultural producers and landowners have more opportunities to participate in voluntary and incentive-based conservation practices, underserved communities once left out of federal programming and decision-making are prioritized once again, and critical infrastructure and business investments are being made to strengthen rural America.

Here is a summary of USDA’s work over these past 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration and a look at what is ahead:

Containing the COVID-19 Pandemic

In less than 100 days, over 220 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered in the U.S. USDA employees have made vast contributions in the effort to get all eligible individuals vaccinated:

1,232 USDA personnel have been deployed to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, including 413 currently deployed. In addition, the Forest Service is currently coordinating the deployment of 439 interagency personnel and contractors. Deployed personnel include both vaccinators and support staff. Vaccinators span many USDA agencies and mission areas, including emergency personnel from the Forest Service, as well as vaccinators from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Altogether, USDA-coordinated programs have administered more than one million vaccinations in partnership with several federal agencies as part of a whole-of-government response to the pandemic.

As the national animal health reference laboratory, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provides confirmatory testing services for animal samples for COVID-19. In the first 100 days, APHIS has confirmed 62 animals as positive for the virus, including two new species. APHIS has also worked with 37 labs in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) to share updated testing protocols, as well as to continue to support the 22 labs with the capability to test human samples.

In response to a coordinated need for the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the food system, consumers, producers and the economy, the ERS COVID-19 rapid response team produced new research in the COVID-19 Working Paper series. These papers explore monthly patterns in food assistance benefits to households, the effects of COVID-19 on food sales, and provide an update to ERS’s International Food Security Assessment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is using National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Census of Agriculture data for COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning in order to effectively help decision-makers in their work to serve agriculture and everyone in the United States.

Working to Drive Down Food Insecurity

Throughout this pandemic, approximately 29 million adults and as many as 12 million children have lacked access to nutritious food. USDA has continually taken steps to strengthen food security, drive down hunger, and put a greater emphasis on the importance of nutrition:

USDA announced a 15 percent increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through September 2021, based on funds apportioned by the American Rescue Plan. The increase will provide ~$3.5 billion to households experiencing food insecurity. In addition, on April 1, USDA announced a $1 billion initiative to raise benefit levels for the approximately 25 million Americans who already received the maximum benefit.

On March 9, USDA announced an extension of free, nutritious meals for all children throughout the summer and until September 30. To help ensure schools open safely in the fall, USDA took further action to issue a broad range of flexibilities to allow school meal programs and childcare institutions across the country to return to serving healthy meals throughout the 2021-2022 school year. The waivers continue the Administration’s commitment to provide safe, healthy meals free of charge to children as the pandemic continues to threaten the food and nutrition security of our most vulnerable. Flexibilities were also authorized to facilitate easy access to these meals, including expanding eligible group settings and meal times, and allowing parents and guardians to pick-up meals for their children.

In an effort to provide adequate nutrition to more than 30 million children, USDA announced the expansion of Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits. The program was set to expire on Sept. 30, 2021, but through the American Rescue Plan, benefits are now available for the duration of the pandemic, including during the summer months. At present, 37 states and territories are taking advantage of the benefit.

As a follow-on to P-EBT, USDA expanded the program through the summer months when low-income children lack access to school meals that fill a nutrition gap during the school year. Expansion of P-EBT over the summer will provide adequate nutrition to more than 33 million children. Families of eligible children typically receive $6.82 per child, per weekday, or roughly $375 per child over the summer months.

USDA also increased food assistance to low-income seniors – a population that has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic – by providing nearly $37 million in additional support to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) to reach more than 24,000 additional seniors across the country. To reach young adults under the age of 25 experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, USDA began reimbursing meals at emergency shelters participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

With $490 million provided by the American Rescue Plan, USDA began offering states, tribal nations and territories the option of boosting the cash-value voucher benefits for up to four months through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to help purchase of fruits and vegetables.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has worked to expand partnerships for the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot Program. Today, 1.5 million participants in 46 states and the District of Columbia are accessing their benefits through online purchasing.

Creating Equitable Opportunities

For decades, systemic racism has created barriers to opportunities for many. Cycles of debt and lack of access to programming have left marginalized communities in the agriculture space at a deficit. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these longstanding challenges in the communities where Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other socially disadvantaged producers live and farm. USDA is committed to creating a department that provides access to opportunity for all Americans, and to addressing cumulative, systemic barriers for socially disadvantaged farmers.

The American Rescue Plan included provisions for USDA to pay up to 120% of loan balances, as of January 1, 2021, for Farm Service Agency (FSA) Direct and Guaranteed Farm Loans and Farm Storage Facility Loans debt relief to any socially disadvantaged producer who has a qualifying loan with FSA. USDA has taken important steps toward enacting these debt relief provisions, including contacting lenders, distributing resources on loan forgiveness, and collecting data on eligible borrowers. More information is forthcoming on debt payments. Learn more.

The American Rescue Plan apportioned over $1 billion for a variety of purposes, including guidance on heirs property, credit management, and for the creation of an Equity Commission which will identify and offer solutions for addressing and removing longstanding discrimination and barriers facing USDA staff, customers, programs and services. Senior leadership in USDA has spent these first 100 days consulting with stakeholders and community groups and crafting a charter since this Commission must adhere to the rules set out in the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Providing a Stronger Safety Net for All Farmers, Ranchers and Producers

Throughout the agriculture sector, COVID-19 has had a lasting impact on many, including farmers, ranchers and producers. To ensure that the agriculture sector rebuilds following the pandemic, USDA has offered new, broader, and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers:

USDA announced Pandemic Assistance for Producers, an umbrella initiative that will provide $6.5 billion in funding to reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. Additionally, USDA reopened sign-up in April for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 and announced the availability of $2 million to establish partnerships with organizations to provide outreach to socially disadvantaged producers. USDA has already distributed or announced the intent to distribute more than $330 million in Pandemic Assistance for Producer funds. To learn more, information about Pandemic Assistance for Producers and a list of programs is available.

Foreclosures and collection of past-due debts for distressed borrowers were temporarily suspended under the FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan and the Direct Farm Loan programs. The relief was extended to 12,000 farmers, or 10% of all FSA borrowers.

Technical and financial assistance was provided to help farmers and livestock producers recover from damages brought on by winter storms. Key programs included the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program, and the Tree Assistance Program.

For producers affected by the worsening drought in the West, USDA announced the availability of up to $10 million in assistance from the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus to assist agricultural producers in the Klamath River Basin.

Helping Rural America to Thrive

Rural America has continually been met with challenges as a result of the pandemic. Students have had to seek alternate solutions for accessing school, families have struggled to make rent and mortgage payments, and communities have been faced with lack of access to viable health care. USDA has responded to the needs of Rural America by creating a variety of funding opportunities:

One of President Biden’s first actions in office was to extend the nationwide eviction moratorium. USDA has taken steps to ensure that rural communities are not left behind. On Day 1, USDA announced an extension of eviction and foreclosure moratoriums on USDA Single Family Housing Direct and Guaranteed loans through March 31, 2021. In subsequent months, USDA expanded this moratorium to include its Multi-Family Housing portfolio and extended the timeline until June 30, 2021. To ensure compliance, USDA sent more than 400,000 letters to tenants and borrowers informing them of their rights and responsibilities.

USDA Rural Development received $100 million as part of the American Rescue Plan for emergency rental assistance. USDA has begun outreach to owners and the process of tenant income verification and contract modification needed to obligate and disburse funds. These funds will provide rental assistance to 30,000 very low income rent overburdened tenants in rural multifamily housing units.

The COVID-19 pandemic has augmented the importance of telemedicine and distance learning for families across the nation, but especially in rural America. In response, USDA Rural Development awarded $42.3 million in grants toward distance learning and telemedicine infrastructure to improve education and health outcomes for an estimated five million Americans. The funding will be dispersed through 86 awards to 34 States. USDA has also invested $156 million in the building and improvement of health-care-related facilities and emergency response that will benefit nearly 1 million rural residents in nine states and Puerto Rico.

Under the Water and Environmental Program, the Rural Energy for America Program, the Electric Loan Program and the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, USDA is investing $487 million in critical infrastructure that will help communities in 45 states. These investments prioritize climate-smart solutions and environmental stewardship, while ensuring Rural communities are at the center of conservation efforts.

USDA also announced a $598 million rural electric loan package to build or improve electric infrastructure in 11 states through the Electric Loan Program. This funding will benefit 460,000 rural residents and businesses in Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia. Several loans in the package will help expand smart grid technologies, which can be a catalyst for broadband and other telecommunications services.