Three states step up to ban soda/candy from SNAP Benefits ahead of Trump admin

Three Republican-led states are working on changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ban some kinds of junk food.

Conservatives have long held that some kinds of foods, such as those low in nutritional value and high in sugars and fats, should not be covered by government assistance. Obesity is a growing epidemic in America, and many people have raised the concern that taxpayers are subsidizing health problems for those on such programs by allowing things like candy and soda to be covered by the money.

Arkansas, Idaho, and Indiana either have or are planning to submit waivers to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in an attempt to change the SNAP program to promote healthier eating habits.

“One-third of our state has diabetes or is pre-diabetic,” said Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders alongside USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. “The current system actively encourages and subsidizes unhealthy, highly processed, and addictive products.”

The two painted the effort as part of a broader plan to fight chronic disease and “Make America Healthy Again,” as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suggested.

But the states, and any others who join in on their movement, may face some difficulty getting the USDA to grant their waivers. In the past, the agency has refused to grant requests to modify SNAP benefits. However, it appears that Rollins intends to fast-track these particular efforts.

“This is not about taking anything away. This is simply saying taxpayers are no longer going to cover the cost of junk food,” Sanders explained.

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