One of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s hallmark efforts to “Make America Healthy Again” just got a major boost this week against a tough foe — Big Soda.
RFK, Jr and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced new waivers banning soda, candy & other junk food from food stamp eligibility — including SNAP.
During a press conference about the major announcement, Rollins outlined the overall importance of this change saying:
“Since my confirmation, our department has encouraged states to think differently and creatively about how to solve the many health issues facing Americans. One way is by not allowing taxpayer funded benefits to be used to purchase unhealthy items like soda, candy, and other junk food. The number one purchase by SNAP recipients is sugary drinks. SNAP is a supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low income families to supplement their grocery budget, so that they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and wellbeing. That is the stated purpose of the SNAP program. The law states it and President Trump’s USDA plans to deliver on it, alongside our partners at HHS.”
BREAKING: Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins announces new waivers banning soda, candy & other junk food from food stamp eligibility
"SNAP is a supplemental nutrition program meant to provide health food benefits to low income families." pic.twitter.com/Ykqtixabg6
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 4, 2025
Rollins also explained that she has signed six more waivers giving states the ability to remove these unhealthy items from SNAP benefits in their state—these are in addition to several state waivers that have already been signed.
RFK, Jr also explained how the new waivers would create a major cost savings — especially for SNAP which is a multi-million dollar per day benefit.
“We are spending $405 MILLION a day on SNAP.. 10% is going to sugary drinks. If you add candies to that, it’s about 13 to 17%. We all believe in free choice. We live in a democracy. People can make their own choice about what they are going to buy and what they are not going to buy. If you want to buy a sugary soda, you should be able to do that, but the U.S. taxpayer should not pay for it. U.S. taxpayer should not be paying to feed kids foods, the poorest kids in the country, foods that will give them diabetes. And then, my agency ends up, through Medicaid and Medicare, paying for those injuries. We’re going to put an end to that. We’re doing it step by step, state by state.”
As previously reported by The Horn News, 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.