American Rescue Plan a Step Towards a Fair, Stable Food System

Mar 12, 2021

The U.S. House of Representatives today voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature. The $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package includes benefits for unemployed workers, stimulus payments up to $1,400 per person, and supplemental funding for nutrition programs, as well as support for vaccine distribution in rural communities, debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers, and resources to build resilience in the food system.

When the bill was passed by the U.S. Senate over the weekend, National Farmers Union (NFU) praised it, saying it “provides a lifeline” for struggling Americans and takes “several steps towards more meaningful, enduring improvements” in the food system. Upon the House’s approval today, the organization’s president Rob Larew reiterated his satisfaction with the legislation:

“In many respects, the American Rescue Plan is a positive development. In the immediate term, it provides crucial assistance for both unemployed and food insecure Americans and expedites vaccine administration in rural communities.

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Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.