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As Congress considers reauthorization of the Farm Bill, America Forward urges legislators to incorporate reforms to the SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) program, one of the nation’s most significant federal workforce funding streams.

SNAP E&T supports self-sufficiency and economic mobility programs for SNAP participants and accounts for more than $1 billion in expenditures in FY2026 across federal expenditures and matching funds under a unique blend of reimbursable 100% funding and 50/50 matching funding. Definitionally, SNAP E&T emphasizes economic advancement for people with low incomes, including many people reentering the workforce following interaction with the criminal justice system. Many America Forward Coalition members, including sectoral training providers and employment social enterprises, have provided high-quality SNAP E&T services or provided technical assistance to support the programs’ implementation and expansion.

SNAP E&T could not be more important at this moment, as states, providers, and SNAP participants prepare for implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) expansion of SNAP work requirements and Medicaid community engagement requirements. SNAP E&T offers a critical pathway for participants to both maintain their eligibility and make real progress towards self-sufficiency, stable employment, and economic mobility. 

However, significant statutory and regulatory barriers have limited E&T’s impact to date. Accordingly, America Forward calls for Congress to prioritize the five following recommendations in any Farm Bill reauthorization that advances:

1. Address the SNAP E&T benefits cliff by including the bipartisan Training and Nutrition Stability Act, addressing the challenging benefits cliff that excludes participants as soon as they earn more and provides a major disincentive to progress on career pathways
2. End the SNAP felony drug ban by incorporating the bipartisan RESTORE Act, eliminating an unfair, counterproductive barrier to reentry 
3. Authorize National Partnership Grants to expand participation in SNAP E&T, helping providers navigate the complexities of SNAP E&T and building on the incredible progress made under appropriated funding that lapses next year
4. Create incentives to deliver evidence-based programs by incorporating the RESET for America’s Future Act, helping to improve completion and ultimate economic outcomes
5. Strengthen data systems, administration, and performance measurement by building on the SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance Act, addressing major barriers to effective implementation, reporting, and continuous improvement

See our full recommendations here. America Forward deeply appreciates legislators’ bipartisan, bicameral efforts to strengthen SNAP E&T, and encourages congressional leaders to prioritize these common-sense reforms as they pursue Farm BIll reauthorization this year.