SNAP Employment & Training witnesses press bipartisan fixes to prevent training income from cutting benefits
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Summary
Providers from the Center for Employment Opportunities and Hope Ministries urged Congress to pass two bipartisan fixes — a temporary earnings disregard for paid training and removal of felony drug bans — to prevent paid SNAP E&T stipends from reducing recipients’ benefits and to expand program access.
Supporters of SNAP Employment & Training told the House Agriculture Committee on Oct. 12 that program design choices can either help people gain steady employment or inadvertently force them to choose between training and basic needs.
Sam Schafer, chief executive officer of the Center for Employment Opportunities, urged passage of two bills he said would fix known problems in current SNAP E&T rules. First, the Training and Nutrition Stability Act would disregard temporary earnings from paid training and transitional jobs when calculating SNAP eligibility and benefits, Schafer said. He described a frequent scenario in which participants earn modest stipends during training but see SNAP benefits drop “as soon as they begin to work,” creating impossible tradeoffs between buying gas and buying interview clothes.
Second, Schafer and others urged passage of a repeal of the federal ban on SNAP eligibility for people with certain drug‑related felony convictions (the “Restore Act” in testimony), arguing that restoring eligibility would reduce recidivism and expand access to training for people returning from incarceration. Schafer said independent evaluations show CEO participants were “48% more likely to be employed after three years,” and that removing the ban would let more motivated people engage in training and employment pathways.
William Lewis, a site supervisor at CEO and a former participant, testified from personal experience: he said the $64 per day he earned in transitional, paid training caused his SNAP benefits to fall by more than half, making the program harder to sustain during the training window. Lewis told members, “If you remember one thing about our participants, know that if asked, they'll say that SNAP and paid training are among the most important tools they have in their reentry journey.”
David Tidwell of Hope Ministries described a local, integrated workforce model (Skilled BR) that combines training, employer partnerships and wraparound supports such as childcare and transportation. He asked Congress to increase funding for participant support services and for industry‑recognized certifications and apprenticeships so participants can access “higher paying, sustainable careers.”
Committee members across the aisle expressed support for stronger training pathways but diverged on whether statutory work requirements should be tightened or whether waivers and benefit‑cliff fixes should be prioritized. No formal legislative action was taken at the hearing.