Florida Congressional Republicans may support legislation banning individuals on the SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamp) program from using tax dollars to purchase candy products and sodas.
It’s part of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA).
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing for states to apply for waivers that would prevent people from using food stamps to buy sodas and candy.
“I commend the 24 states pushing MAHA bills to clean up our food system, improve school lunches, submit waivers to SNAP, and promote patient choice, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower income kids,” Kennedy posted on X.
But nothing can happen unless there’s a change in law which would have to come from Congress or a waiver from the Federal Agriculture office known as the USDA.
Both sides of the political aisle have proposed the move before. Some legislators even want to go further than just banning candies and soda. Other items include a ban on ice cream, “luxury meats” like steak, bottled water, and decorated birthday cakes. There are also talks that the Trump White House may look at banning “processed foods.”
Currently, some bans already exist on SNAP participants like alcohol, tobacco, and hot foods.
The size of the SNAP program is startling. There are over 42 million Americans on the program, which saw an increase from COVID, and it costs the U.S. taxpayer $113 billion a year.
Households on the SNAP program have a gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $33,500 a year for three people.
The proponents of SNAP restrictions want sugar-related items gone and have to see the dollars spent on healthier foods.
