“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 percent, 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. As Secretaries, I ask that you work 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 US 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,” writes Arkansas Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders in a letter to Robert F Kennedy Jr and Brooke Rollins, convicted felon President-Elect Trump’s picks for HHS and USDA Secretaries, respectively.
Sigh… We’re old enough to remember when Michelle Obama was Satan incarnate for promoting healthy nutritional habits and she and Mike Bloomberg were the harbingers of a “nanny state” in which personal choice was constrained by wealthy finger-waggers who don’t know what it’s like to work your ass off all day and be too tired to want to make a fresh cucumber salad topped with lean grilled organic chicken breast and tossed in raspberry vinaigrette. Hot Pockets are faster.
To be slightly fair it does seem like Sarah’s shed a few pounds since her days at the White House podium but, you know, the whole capitalizing “Make America Healthy Again” at the end of this letter was most certainly not accompanied by an extensive audit of whatever food products are served to her, her family, and her staff in Arkansas state facilities. Would be a pretty safe bet that there’s some high fructose corn syrup products in there. And this is before we get into her other actual policies, which we’re certain to be incongruent with promoting better access to healthcare, especially the part about “maternal health challenges” exacerbated by her crusade against reproductive rights.
It just seems like making snack foods ineligible for SNAP is the low-hanging Hostess cupcake here as it requires pretty much no actual work or spending on her part. Really all it does is add to the hassle for rural Arkansas convenience stores that aren’t going to suddenly replace their off-brand microwave cheeseburgers with freshly made turkey wraps so much as scan a fake barcode for a freshly made turkey wrap when selling a pack of off-brand microwave cheeseburgers to a SNAP recipient, the same as they already do with cigarettes, Zyn pouches, and bottles of malt liquor.