By Leah Douglas (Reuters) -The Trump administration is calling on states to request waivers that would bar food stamp recipients from buying soda and other processed foods with their benefits, according to a Thursday op-ed by U.S. health and agriculture secretaries, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Brooke Rollins. The secretaries, in the USA Today op-ed, […]
Health
Trump administration urges states to limit what can be bought with food stamps
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By Leah Douglas
(Reuters) -The Trump administration is calling on states to request waivers that would bar food stamp recipients from buying soda and other processed foods with their benefits, according to a Thursday op-ed by U.S. health and agriculture secretaries, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Brooke Rollins.
The secretaries, in the USA Today op-ed, promised more shared initiatives to further the Make America Healthy Again agenda promoted by Kennedy and backed by President Donald Trump.
Kennedy and Rollins said the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture were pursuing reforms to the nation’s largest food aid program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and called on all governors to submit waivers to restrict what SNAP recipients can buy.
“We will encourage taxpayer dollars to go toward wholesome foods, such as whole milk, fruits, vegetables and meats,” the secretaries wrote.
More than 41 million low-income people receive SNAP benefits, which are administered by the USDA.
The call for waivers is the latest chapter in a years-long debate over whether SNAP recipients should be able to use their benefits to buy soda or other processed foods. Critics of restrictions, including some Democrats, see them as stigmatizing.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen on April 7 sent a letter to Rollins indicating the state would request a waiver to prohibit SNAP recipients from buying soda and energy drinks with their benefits, according to a state press release.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey in late March signed a similar letter of intent at an event with Kennedy, according to a state press release.
There is little evidence that SNAP recipients consume significantly more soda than non-SNAP households. A 2016 USDA study found that soda was the top commodity category purchased by SNAP households and the No. 2 commodity for non-SNAP households, with the difference accounting for less than 1 cent per dollar.
(Reporting by Leah DouglasEditing by Bernadette Baum)