U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) recently convened a subcommittee hearing to explore state pilot projects that help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants find employment.
Walorski, the chairwoman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, convened the hearing as part of an ongoing committee look at the past, present and future of SNAP.
The hearing focused on state SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) programs designed to help workers find jobs and develop workforce skills.
“A job is the first step for anyone trying to move up the economic ladder and out of poverty,” Walorski said. “State SNAP E&T programs exist to help SNAP recipients find job opportunities and develop valuable skills so they can get back to work and back on their feet. Finding out what works and what doesn’t is central to House Republicans’ policy initiative known as ‘A Better Way,’ and the state initiatives we heard about today will test innovative new ideas to improve SNAP E&T programs.”
The 2014 Farm Bill authorized SNAP E&T pilot projects, and the USDA awarded 10 states grants in 2015 to help meet reporting and evaluation requirements to ensure that quality, evidence-based information is gathered on the pilot projects.
“Our safety net programs are indispensable, but for those that are able to work, the safety net should be a temporary stop and not a final destination,” Walorski said. “This is a something that has been echoed by Republicans and Democrats alike. In his second State of the Union address, Franklin Delano Roosevelt told Congress, ‘Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers.’ He extolled not only the obvious financial benefits of a job, but also the benefits to the mind, body, and spirit as well. And while President Roosevelt took a government-centric approach to creating jobs, the core principle behind it remained: if you can work, you should work.”