Three More States Join MAHA by Banning Candy and Soda From SNAP – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins signed three new state SNAP food restriction waivers on Tuesday. The waivers authorize Arkansas, Idaho, and Utah to prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from using the welfare program to buy soda, sugary drinks, and candy.
SNAP is a federally administered but state-operated public assistance program that provides food stamps to low-income individuals. The new waivers work by amending the states’ statutory definitions of food available for purchase using SNAP benefits, and they will take effect in the three states in 2026.
Prior to these waivers, SNAP recipients could buy any food, drinks, or food-producing seeds and plants in grocery or convenience stores except alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared foods, and personal care products. According to the USDA, the Trump administration is leading an effort to “restore nutritional value within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” Using federally granted state waivers allows individual states, cooperating with the Trump administration, to restrict SNAP without the need for Congress to pass national regulations on SNAP. The three new states joined Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana, which had their waivers approved in May.
In the USDA statement, Rollins said that “the Trump Administration is unified in improving the health of our nation.” She added, “Each waiver submitted by the states and signed is yet another step closer to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”
Roughly 42 million people, or 12.6 percent of U.S. residents, receive SNAP benefits. According to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, food stamps amount to a $119 billion federal program. However, about 23 percent of food stamp spending, amounting to an annual cost of $27 billion, is spent to purchase soft drinks, unhealthy snacks, candy, and desserts. (RELATED: We Need Welfare Reform That Works)
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