I agree about the negative possibility of businesses jacking up prices when paying with fake-bux. But I think you're looking too big picture in this case, and

I agree about the negative possibility of businesses jacking up prices when paying with fake-bux. But I think you're looking too big picture in this case, and to a certain extent, politics is local. This program is essentially an acknowledgement that large influxes of immigrants imposing a cost on society, and that cost is paid locally. Amazon is not being asked to give up rooms and apartments for the immigrants, the local folks are. Pets.com doesn't have to deal with non-native language speakers, and the big bank chains don't have to wait in line at the DMV. This program is not as much about doing the economically optimal thing, this is about smoothing over immigrant relations in the local communities.