The states have requested to ban soda and candy from nutritional assistance.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Governor Mike Braun of Indiana filed a waiver with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week to obtain permission to make soda and candy ineligible purchases through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in their states. SNAP is managed by the federal government, and if the USDA approves these waivers, Arkansas and Indiana will be able to make the requested changes to the program on the state level. Idaho later submitted the same request.
“Banning soft drinks and candy from food stamps will remove some of the least healthy, most processed foods from the program and encourage low-income Arkansans to eat better,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
Governor Braun met with HHS Secretary Kennedy and Medicaid and Medicare Administrator Oz on the subject. “If we want to protect our country against infectious diseases, we need to start by making people healthy again,” Secretary Kennedy said. “They changed our food system in this country so that it is poison to us… we can’t be a strong nation if we are not a strong people.”
Idaho Governor Little stated, “It is actually quite simple: assistance from the government should go toward healthy foods, not foods that cause so many health problems.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the state governors who are seeking to improve the health of their constituents through the SNAP restrictions on soda and candy.
- For Secretary Kennedy and Administrator Oz to be discerning as they head the effort to increase Americans’ health.
Sources: The Hill, MSN, DTNPF
