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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
2:31 PM – Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote to officials in Washington, D.C., about proposed amendments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP’s mission is to “provide food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being,” according to the USDA.
The Wednesday letter was addressed directly to Brooke Rollins, the Secretary-Designate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new Secretary-Designate of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In the letter, Sanders suggests that SNAP recipients should not be able to purchase unhealthy “junk food” lacking nutrients, especially since U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill to provide sustenance for these low income individuals and families.
SNAP receivers only consuming food products that are high in sugar and salt, processed, and genetically modified can further lead to obesity, disease, and even cancer, many doctors have argued, putting a strain on hospitals and the medical system in general while imposing higher health costs on those who are not overweight or obese.
“A common starting point in such discussions is the assertion that those who are obese impose higher health costs on the rest of the population—a statement which is then taken to justify public policy interventions… After the individual makes the transition to Medicare, most of the medical costs of obesity will be borne by taxpayers,” according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The USDA also reported that, “Obese and overweight people with health insurance impose significant negative externalities on normal weight people in the same insurance pool.”
The GOP Governor noted that 40% of people in her state suffer from obesity, and one-third have diabetes or pre-diabetes, citing her experience as a mother of three as inspiration for “improving maternal health outcomes” in children.
She also referenced research by Jayanta Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University who was nominated by President-elect Trump to lead the NIH. The study found that eliminating sugary snacks and drinks from the SNAP program would prevent Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults and obesity in 141,000 children.
Kennedy, who has publicly stated his wish for healthier eating in the United States, is likely to listen sympathetically to Sanders’ letter.
“We have a generation of kids who are swimming around in a toxic soup right now,” Kennedy previously told Fox News in regards to processed foods. “We’re letting these industries corrupt our agencies and mass poison them.”
Sanders’ letter reads: “Dear Mr. Kennedy and Mrs. Rollins,
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.
In fact, soda, unhealthy snacks, candy, and dessert account for nearly 23%, or $25 billion, of all SNAP purchases. Given the relationship between junk food and poor health, our federal food assistance policies are fueling obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a wide range of chronic health conditions across America.
As a mom of three, I have made improving maternal health outcomes one of my key priorities as governor. But we will never address our maternal health challenges unless we tackle chronic health conditions, like diabetes and obesity, that dramatically increase the risk of pregnancy complications. For example, one-third of our state has diabetes or pre-diabetes. Forty percent of our state struggles with obesity. Sadly, these health conditions disproportionately affect lower-income families—the same people who rely on SNAP for food.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and his Stanford colleagues estimated that prohibiting sugary drinks and soda from SNAP would prevent obesity in 141,000 kids and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults. Since joint state and federal healthcare spending is quickly approaching $2 trillion each year, we should embrace commonsense, preventative healthcare policies.
Health-centered SNAP reform also offers a great opportunity for Americans to support Arkansas farmers by enjoying Arkansas-grown and harvested poultry, eggs, beef, pecans, peanuts, soy, strawberries, sweet potatoes, rice, peaches, oats, and more. As someone who believes in the Trump Administration’s unifying, aspirational vision for the future, the time has come to support American farmers and end taxpayer-funded junk food.
As Secretaries, I ask that you work collaboratively across the Administration to prohibit the sale of junk food in SNAP and end taxpayer-funded junk food. I also wish to notify you of my intent to pursue a SNAP Waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service that would support fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and protein and prohibit using SNAP for junk food.
Together, we can, and we will, Make America Healthy Again.”
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