The Arkansas governor said the current program allocates a substantial share of its funds to items linked to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic health issues.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has called for an overhaul of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), urging key members of the incoming Trump administration to remove junk food items such as soda, candy, and desserts from the taxpayer-funded program.
In a recent video message posted to social media, Sanders said that redirecting SNAP spending away from unhealthy products could bolster public health and reduce taxpayer costs.
She noted that the current program, which costs $113 billion annually, allocates a substantial share of its funds—nearly $25 billion—to items linked to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions.
“SNAP is critical for struggling families, but it’s also a huge taxpayer subsidy for things like soda, candy, and dessert,” Sanders said in the video.
She said that these categories account for “23 percent of all SNAP spending.”
“President Trump and his cabinet are committed to ‘Making America Healthy Again’ and getting our struggling families the good nutritious food they deserve,” she said.
In a separate letter released publicly dated Dec. 10, Sanders wrote to Trump’s secretary-designate for the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the secretary-designate for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins.
In the letter, Sanders wrote: “As you know, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a $113 billion federal program designed to support low-income families with food assistance. Unfortunately, this ‘Nutrition Assistance’ program is undermining the health of millions of Americans, on the taxpayer’s dime, by encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food.”
Sanders pointed to research from Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and colleagues at Stanford University, noting their findings that “prohibiting sugary drinks and soda from SNAP would prevent obesity in 141,000 kids and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults.”
She argued that removing unhealthy options would not only improve public health outcomes but also support Arkansas farmers and American farmers overall who grow nutritious products at home.
By Chase Smith
