A coalition of House Democrats and Republicans defeated a push on Wednesday to ban Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries from using food stamps to purchase sugary drinks such as soda.
In a 238-186 vote, the House blocked an amendment to the farm bill by Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) banning SNAP benefits from being used to purchase soda.
“The House just voted against banning soda from SNAP,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) said in a post on X. “Why should the government fund your soda purchases?
“If SNAP recipients want to buy sugary drinks, they can do it on their own dime, not on the backs of a taxpayer-funded nutrition program,” added Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina.
Overall, 183 Democrats and 52 Republicans voted against Self’s amendment. Meanwhile, 157 Republicans and 29 Democrats voted for the amendment. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also voted in favor.
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SNAP is a government program aimed to help low-income individuals afford food by supplementing household grocery budgets. It is administered through the Agriculture Department, and benefit levels are determined based on net income and household size, operating on the assumption that 30% of a household’s net income is spent on food.
SNAP, which has over 41 million recipients, is authorized through the farm bill.