Candy and sweetened beverages could soon be off the table for participants in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the Trump administration hones in on its Make America Healthy Again agenda, and Democrats are livid.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last week he is working with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins “to get sodas and candy off of the food stamps program,” pointing to childhood diabetes rates, which have risen in the U.S. Democratic lawmakers said it’s a paternalistic approach to a program that’s supposed to give low-income people more options and made the argument that not all low-income Americans have access to stores that sell nutritious food.
“This administration is filled with millionaires and billionaires. They have no fucking clue about what it is to struggle,” Rep. Jim McGovern told NOTUS. “You’re gonna put all these restrictions in place? What do you do if you don’t live in an area where there’s a supermarket, where there’s only a convenience store? What do you do if you don’t have access to a place where you can get healthier foods?”