According to the US president, a total of 36 million Americans do not have enough food.

The United States economy continues to be in a difficult position due to the effects of the new coronavirus pandemic, and a total of 36 million Americans do not have enough food. This was stated on Friday by US President Joe Biden, speaking at the White House.

The American leader cited this data, speaking about the need to adopt the proposed economic stimulus package measures in the amount of $1.9 trillion.

“It’s evident that the economy is still in a difficult position,” Biden acknowledged. “More than 10 million people are out of work, and 4 million are out of work for six months or more, < … > 24 million adults and 12 million children literally do not have enough food,” he said.

“So I will act, and I will act quickly,” Biden added. According to him, the plan proposed by him, in particular, provides for the allocation of $160 billion for the vaccination program of the population, including the production of vaccines and their distribution. “The second point <…> of the plan is to keep the promise to pay < … > $1,4 thousand to those people who need it. These are direct payments to people. < … > I will not cut the number of payments. It will be $1.4 thousand and to the point. This was promised to the American people,” Biden also explained.

In turn, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, at a briefing for journalists, noted that the US economy is currently recovering too slowly. “Our economy is getting out of a crisis that was worse than the worst times of the Great Depression and is getting out at a slow pace,” she said. “A major package of assistance is urgently needed to control the spread of the virus, vaccinate and finally start treatment…> recovery, ” said Jared Bernstein, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

The US Department of Labor recorded a slight decline in the unemployment rate to 6.3% in January, compared to 6.7% in November and December. According to statistics published on Friday by the agency, the number of jobs increased by 49 thousand; a month earlier, there was a decrease of 140 thousand, although, before that, employment showed growth for six months.