Overview

• This week USDA and HHS signed waiver approvals for West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, raising the total to a dozen states under the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
• Under the waivers, SNAP recipients in participating states will be barred from using benefits to purchase soda, sweetened beverages, candy and other high-sugar, low-nutrient items starting in early 2026.
• Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Josh Brecheen have introduced the Healthy SNAP Act to codify junk food prohibitions in SNAP and extend pilot restrictions to all states.
• Critics including anti-hunger advocates and nutrition experts caution that purchase bans may impose administrative burdens, stigmatize low-income beneficiaries and show limited evidence of improving health outcomes.
• SNAP currently serves roughly 42 million Americans with over 20% of benefits—about $24 billion annually—spent on unhealthy foods, driving calls to curb obesity and chronic disease costs.