The Biden administration has approved the largest increase in food stamp assistance in the program’s history, the U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) confirmed on Sunday. The aid boost is on based on an update to the algorithm that governs the Thrifty Food Plan, which tracks and suggests the cost of budget-conscious nutritional goals for American families. Average benefits from the government’s primary food welfare program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will increase more than 25 percent above pre-pandemic levels for 42 million beneficiaries. The average benefits received by eligible Americans via the program will rise on average from $121 to $157 per month. The changes do not require congressional approval, and will be formally announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. In 2018, Congress passed a law ordering a review of the plan. Upon taking office, President Joe Biden asked the agriculture department to fast-track this review so …