“Make America Healthy Again” is facing unexpected push back from the Big Soda lobby… and in some states, the soda lobbyist are winning.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas suddenly flip-flopped and vetoed legislation on Wednesday that would ban soda and candy purchases with food stamps, just one day after she requested a federal waiver to implement the same restrictions.
The Democratic governor’s reversal came is just the latest push back against the conservative effort to restrict junk food purchases through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a movement that has gained momentum under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.
On April 2, Kelly requested a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to “exclude all candy and soda beverages (also known as soft drinks) from the definition of eligible foods” for SNAP purchases. The request, signed by Economic and Employment Services Director Carla Whiteside-Hicks, cited Kansas’s obesity epidemic as justification.
“Current estimates rank Kansas 12th in the nation for obesity prevalence, with 34.4% of adults,” the waiver stated. “Allowing the purchase of sugar sweetened soda beverages and candy with minimal nutritional value with federal dollars is harmful for low-income families, and it enables unhealthy nutritional habits.”
Just one day later, Kelly vetoed the bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature that would have mandated the exact waiver she had just requested.
“This bill is simply wrong,” Kelly wrote in her veto message. “Not only would it make it more difficult for Kansans to access the food they need to feed their families, it would also harm Kansas businesses.”
Critics have blamed soda industry lobbying for the governor’s sudden change of position.
“The Governor can’t decide who to back — her constituents or Big Soda,” said Adam Gibbs, spokesman for the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative think tank that has backed similar bills in multiple states.
Kansas is among 16 states that have proposed bills to restrict candy and sugary drinks from SNAP purchases. The bill recently passed and was signed into law in West Virginia.
But there is a growing effort by the Big Soda lobby to undermine these efforts, including payoffs for grassroots conservative advocates to push their messages. Take a look —
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The debate comes as Health Secretary Kennedy has made SNAP reform a central part of his agenda.
“I urge every Governor to follow West Virginia’s lead and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP,” Kennedy wrote on social media. “If there’s one thing we can agree on, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower income kids.”
While Kennedy’s department doesn’t control SNAP, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture under Secretary Brooke Rollins, his push has energized supporters of restrictions.
“When a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?” Rollins said in February.
Taxpayers spent approximately $113 billion last year on SNAP, which distributed the funds to 42 million Americans. A 2011 Agriculture Department report found that nearly $360 million in food stamp dollars were spent on soda, making it the second-most popular item, and $138 million on candy.
Rep. Josh Breechan, an Oklahoma Republican who sponsored the federal Healthy SNAP Act, framed the issue as fiscal responsibility.
“If someone wants to buy junk food on their own dime, that’s up to them,” he said. “But what we’re saying is, ‘Don’t ask the taxpayer to pay for it and then also expect the taxpayer to pick up the tab for the resulting health consequences.'”
Kansas lawmakers need a two-thirds majority to override Kelly’s veto. The Senate reportedly has the votes, but the House would need about 18 Democrats to switch positions.