SNAP recipients may be barred from junk food purchases under new House GOP bill
House Republicans are eyeing new limits on food stamps driven by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s mission to "Make America Healthy Again."
Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., is leading "The Healthy SNAP Act" to bar most junk foods from being eligible for purchase under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), he first told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump has been given a mandate by the majority of Americans to Make America Healthy Again, and those in his administration, like RFK Jr. and Senator Marco Rubio, have directly advocated for eliminating junk food purchases with SNAP," Brecheen told Fox News Digital.
"If someone wants to buy junk food on their own dime, that’s up to them. 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."
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Brecheen's bill would bar the use of food stamps to buy "soft drinks, candy, ice cream, prepared desserts such as cakes, pies, cookies, or similar products," according to legislative text obtained by Fox News Digital.
Seven Republicans have backed the legislation as co-sponsors.
As the Oklahoma Republican referenced, Secretary of State nominee Rubio did back efforts to reform SNAP last year.
He unveiled a bipartisan bill with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to enable the federal government to collect more data on SNAP purchases and "add improving nutrition security and diet quality to Congress’ declaration of policy for SNAP."
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Rubio had also called for a crackdown on SNAP funds going toward junk food in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last year.
Brecheen said of his bill, "In addition to the obvious health improvements, this bill will also result in significant savings in taxpayer funds for such programs as Medicaid, where approximately 1 in 4 Americans (79 million total) are currently enrolled."
"Federally funded healthcare for obesity and obesity-related diseases has reached $400 billion per year, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee (JEC) 2023 report. We can’t afford to go down this road any longer as a nation," he said.
Republicans embracing a focus on nutrition and health is a notable shift from even a decade ago, when conservatives pushed back on former first lady Michelle Obama's effort to get more nutritional meals in schools.
Kennedy, who was a self-described Democrat before running for president as an Independent candidate, has driven a significant shift in the national dialogue on the issue since forging a relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump tapped Kennedy to be his secretary of Health and Human Services – though his history of vaccine skepticism may make his confirmation an uphill battle.