USDA Chief Proposes Sweeping Changes to Food Stamps – Say Goodbye to Sugary Drinks and Junk Food
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday that it may be prohibited for Americans receiving food stamps to purchase junk food and “sugary drinks.”
The recently appointed cabinet official stated that she will prioritize food-stamp payouts for nutritious food items in collaboration with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Will we ever take food away from a youngster who is starving? Rollins told reporters on the White House driveway, This is the United States of America, of course not.
“Truly, this program has grown so large, especially in the last administration. Under Biden, I think [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] grew almost 30% more than before. We really need to look at where that money is going, what it’s being spent on,” she stated.
“I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, ‘Do we have the healthiest choices?’ So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are we OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?”
Kennedy and Rollins will be on President Trump’s new 13-member Make America Healthy Again panel after being confirmed by the Senate on Thursday.
USDA reports that 42.1 million people were SNAP recipients in fiscal 2023.
The program’s payouts averaged $211.93 per month, while its annual cost came to $112.8 billion. Although Congress is actively considering the concept, it is unclear how the scheme may operate.
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The use of SNAP benefits for “soft drinks, candy, ice cream, prepared desserts such as cakes, pies, cookies, or similar products” would be restricted by a measure introduced by Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.).
To “add improving nutrition security and diet quality to Congress’ declaration of policy for SNAP,” Brecheen and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are sponsoring a separate, bipartisan measure that would authorize a study of SNAP purchases.
When it comes to maximizing the use of food stamp monies, Rollins added that she would especially welcome “a business perspective” from Musk’s DOGE team.
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“Oftentimes these government programs are started with the idea that you’re going to help people — it’s not a handout, it’s a hand up — and then years later the programs are even bigger and more people on them. And are we really giving people a hand up or is it really a handout?” she stated.
“If we can have a whole other group of really smart people looking at SNAP and other programs at USDA that will allow us to ensure, ‘What are our metrics for success?’”