Lugar bill threatens SNAP E&T.

Earlier this month, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced legislation—the Rural Economic Farm and Ranch Sustainability and Hunger (REFRESH) Act—that would eliminate funding for a critical job training program aimed at recipients of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps) benefits.

Originally authorized in 1985, the SNAP Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program provides funds to states to offer job search, work experience, and training opportunities to help SNAP participants achieve self-sufficiency. State SNAP E&T programs served nearly 2.6 million individuals in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, including nearly 1.5 million who used the program to pursue a secondary diploma or GED, and thousands more who used the program to pursue postsecondary degrees or credentials. The program has proven to be an invaluable resource for addressing the skill needs of low-income adults who might otherwise not be served through other federal employment and training programs, and in recent years a number of states have implemented promising and innovative workforce strategies that can help better connect SNAP recipients to industry-recognized degrees and credentials with value in the labor market.

The Lugar bill would eliminate all funding for SNAP E&T as part of a broader set of spending cuts and structural changes designed to cut $40 billion from agriculture programs over the next ten years. In a press release announcing the introduction of the measure, Senator Lugar suggested that the elimination of SNAP E&T is intended to reduce duplication with other federal job training programs, citing an inaccurate interpretation of a January Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that has become increasingly popular with conservative lawmakers (see National Skills Coalition’s response to mischaracterizations of the GAO report).

While the current bill will not be taken up by the Democratically-controlled Senate, it sends a clear and troubling signal about the position Senate Republicans are likely take on SNAP E&T and other key nutrition programs, both as part of the deficit reduction negotiations in the “Super Committee” established by the recent debt ceiling bill, and in next year’s reauthorization of the farm bill.

National Skills Coalition has prepared a brief fact sheet on the vital role of SNAP E&T in our nation’s job training strategies, including highlights of innovative state programs. NSC strongly opposes efforts to reduce or eliminate SNAP E&T, and we look forward to working with Congress to maintain and strengthen the program to ensure SNAP recipients can get the skills they need to get and keep family-supporting jobs.