Gov. Scott Walker is pushing for drug testing of food stamp recipients.
The Wisconsin Republican has been interested in making Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as food stamps) recipients pass drug tests — a requirement that President Obama’s administration says violates federal law — since last year. Walker announced Thursday he is going forward with the push in part of a workforce readiness plan in his overall budget proposal.
“We know employers in Wisconsin have jobs available, but they don’t have enough qualified employees to fill those positions,” Walker said in a press release. “With this budget, we are addressing some of the barriers keeping people from achieving true freedom and prosperity and the independence that comes with having a good job and doing it well.”
The budget includes a plan to require drug testing of Wisconsin workers applying for or receiving benefits from programs such as unemployment insurance, FoodShare (food stamps) and Transform Milwaukee (a workforce plan helping the manufacturing sector and transportation network).
When Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a law requiring the state to drug test test food stamp applicants starting in 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shut it down.
“Requiring SNAP applicants and recipients to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits would constitute an additional condition of eligibility, and therefore, is not allowable under law,” regional USDA administrator Robin Bailey said.
“We believe that there will potentially be a fight with the federal government and in court,” Walker told the Journal Sentinel in September, revealing he is both aware and ready for a fight.
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