The Training & Nutrition Stability Act

The Challenge

As states implemented paid SNAP E&T training, a critical policy gap emerged. Income earned through temporary training programs is frequently treated as countable income for SNAP eligibility purposes.

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This creates a paradox: participants who comply with SNAP E&T requirements and pursue approved training often lose the very food assistance that allows them to remain stable during that transition. For many households, even modest training wages can trigger benefit reductions that far outweigh their earnings.

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Why [Core Issues] Is Essential To Reentry

Food stability is foundational to successful employment outcomes—particularly for individuals returning from incarceration.

• People who have been incarcerated experience food insecurity at twice the rate of the general population¹
• Only 214,000 people enrolled in SNAP E&T programs² compared to the 42 million people enrolled in SNAP³
• $1 billion in new SNAP benefits would generate an additional $32 million in income for the U.S. agriculture
• industries and support an additional 480 full-time agriculture jobs⁴

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For people reentering society with limited support networks, SNAP often serves as the bridge that makes employment, housing, and family stability possible.

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The Solutions(s)

The Training Nutrition and Stability Act (TNSA)

H.R.2974 | S.1789

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The Training & Nutrition Stability Act provides a simple, technical fix: it excludes income earned through SNAP E&T and other federally supported temporary paid training programs from SNAP eligibility calculations.

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This change ensures that:

• Participants can complete short-term training without losing food assistance
• SNAP and SNAP E&T function together as intended
• Workforce investments deliver long-term returns without destabilizing families

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Both bills were introduced with bipartisan original co-sponsors: Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Alma Adams (D-NC), Max Miller (R-OH), and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced H.R.2974, and Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sen. Ricketts (R-NE) introduced S.1789.

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Unlocking SNAP E&T Funding for Reentry Organizations

For years, CEO has worked with dozens of organizations spanning food security, workforce, and agriculture sectors, all united in protecting SNAP and advancing a bipartisan comprehensive Farm Bill that expands access. Together with other partners, CEO amplified the message that SNAP is not just food assistance—it’s critical workforce infrastructure. For many returning citizens, SNAP is the bridge that makes everything else possible.

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Many reentry organizations are deeply rooted in their communities, led by justice-impacted people, and have the relationships, the trust, and the expertise to lead. What they need is infrastructure and resources. That is why for the past several years, CEO partnered with more than 100 organizations to connect nearly 10,000 people with SNAP Employment and Training services.

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With recent changes impacting the SNAP program, including new state cost shares and expanded work requirements, CEO is boldly meeting the moment. Hundreds of millions of dollars in available SNAP E&T funds remain unused—despite the fact that it is one of the few scalable, flexible funding streams for workforce programs, and offers a solution for people forced to meet work requirements.

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SNAP is foundational for people returning from prison, especially for people who have access to few other supports, and the Employment & Training program needs to be part of the solution. By providing stronger pathways to jobs when people leave prison, public safety improves and the economy grows.

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By The Numbers

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Conclusion

Passing a comprehensive, bipartisan Farm Bill that includes the Training & Nutrition Stability Act is essential to aligning nutrition assistance with workforce development. TNSA ensures that people working to improve their lives are not penalized for doing so—and that SNAP continues to function as a pathway to stability, opportunity, and long-term economic independence.