Oppose & Vote NO on Let’s Get To Work Act

Today I take pen in hand to write and urge you to oppose and vote NO on the recently introduced Let's Get to Work Act. This bill by Sen. Rick Scott and Representative Mike Kennedy aims to expand work requirements for recipients of government assistance programs like SNAP and public housing. It’s a call back to the old Reagan Workfare programs of the 1980s, only more restrictive on doling out the assistance. It’s unlikely that this would provide broad relief. This setup is bound to fail: This approach overlooks the complex barriers many individuals face in securing and maintaining employment, such as discrimination of all kinds. It puts stringent work requirements around the benefits that can push vulnerable families deeper into poverty and create unnecessary hardship. Furthermore, research has shown that imposing strict work requirements does little to increase employment rates or reduce poverty in the long run. It often leads to increased food insecurity, housing instability, and negative health outcomes, particularly for children. Instead of bills like this that impose punitive measures for those that are unemployed, we should focus on providing comprehensive support systems to help people achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency. This includes strengthening access to affordable childcare, job training programs, transportation assistance, and supportive services for those facing disabilities or other challenges. Investing in our people is an investment in our country’s economic strength. Furthermore, this has been studied for years: Research has shown that imposing strict work requirements does little to increase employment rates or reduce poverty in the long run. It often leads to increased food insecurity, housing instability, and negative health outcomes, particularly for children. We must take a more compassionate and evidence-based approach that prioritizes lifting people out of poverty, not pushing them further into it. I Therefore, I urge you to reject and vote NO on the Let's Get to Work Act. This isn’t the way forward. Thank you.