Arkansas Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a plan that restricts the types of food that can be purchased with food stamps, becoming one of the first governors to seek federal permission to ban the use of items such as soda and candy from the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
During a press conference Tuesday at the Arkansas Capitol, Sanders said her administration had filed a waiver request to the USDA for banning the use of SNAP benefits for soft drinks, artificial sweet candies and snacks made from flour, while expanding qualified items to expand the current exclusion of Hot Rotisserie Chicken, which includes Hot Rotisserie Chicken, which was excluded.
“Now, you can buy soft drinks or candy bars from gas stations using food stamps, but you can’t use them to buy hot barbecue restaurants in Arkansas-raised from grocery stores,” Sanders said. “That’s the definition of crazy.”
US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins praised Sanders’ move in a statement to Fox News’ digitalization.
“Governor Sanders is facing childhood illness, which starts with family consumption,” Rollins said. “Today’s waiver announcement is welcome news and I look forward to quickly passing the approval process. I encourage more states across the country to follow bold leadership in countries like Arkansas as we once again make the United States healthy.”
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US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, leftist and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders spoke outside the Governor’s Building in Little Rock, Arkansas on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP image)
The exemption request is part of the Trump administration “Make America healthy again” or Maha Agenda, attempting to address chronic diseases and health care costs by reforming the federal nutrition program.
“We finally have a president with Secretary Rollins, focusing on lasers on addressing the chronic disease epidemic in the United States,” Sanders said. “Reforming food stamps is a good starting point.”
Trump’s policies Regarding food and health, his second government attracted attention in his second, turning to a state-driven solution focused on prevention rather than treatment. The Maha Initiative was led in part by Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Rollins spoke in Arkansas, praising the state’s leadership.
“What we are doing here today is confirming the value of federalism in every aspect of governance,” she said. “No federal bureaucrats have a better understanding of the needs of Arkansas families than their own governors.”
Rollins added that SNAP reform is a key issue for Trump.
“This is one of the things he ran for, and that’s what the American people voted for,” she said.
The plan was originally intended to fight hunger and has been distorted by outdated regulations and improper incentives, Sanders said.
“One-third of our state has diabetes or pre-diabetes,” she said. “We pay for it on the front end and back end.”
The exemption will affect nearly 350,000 residents of Arkansas who participate in SNAP and are scheduled to take effect in July 2026, if approved.
According to Sanders, 23% of SNAP spending, or $27 billion per year, is spent on soft drinks, candies and desserts, while the state spends $300 million per year to treat chronic diseases through Medicaid.
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“It’s not about taking anything away,” she said. “It’s just that taxpayers no longer bear the cost of junk food like candy and soft drinks.”
Rollins praised Arkansas’ rapid reform plan as a bold step to improving public health, saying Sanders “bravely” to solve childhood illness Through nutrition.
“We are working to readjust USDA and every taxpayer dollar, which is the best and most effective spend,” Rollins said.
Brooke Rollins attended a hearing on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, where she was nominated for the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington on January 23, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Kristi Putnam, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, noted that the same state agency runs SNAP and also manages Medicaid.
“In one plan, we have subsidized foods that we know make people unhealthy. On the other hand, we use a lot of resources to treat the same conditions that unhealthy foods come with,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Critics, including the Center for Food Research and Action, argue that the restrictions are punitive and have no data support. The trading group representing beverage and candy manufacturers also criticized the move.
As the Associated Press reported, U.S. drinks accused officials of “choosing as a food police officer”, while the National Candy Association called the plan “misleading.”
Sanders addressed concerns about food costs and pointed out her administration’s efforts to eliminate state grocery taxes.
“I think it’s hard to say that you buy one bag and one bag, you’ll be better and your hunger will be satisfied after you purchase it,” she said.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared on the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fisevi Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Getty Image)
Rollins stressed that the funding level of SNAP will not change. “It just opens up opportunities to move forward with better, healthier food,” she said.
Arkansas’s waiver request was formally filed Tuesday and includes a 30-day public comment period. The USDA and the Governor’s Office are expected to coordinate implementation details this week.
“We hope this will be done soon,” Sanders said.
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Governor Sanders’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News numbers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
