GOP lawmaker introduces bill to exclude junk food from SNAP
Reese Gorman
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Freshman Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK) introduced “The Healthy SNAP ACT” on Tuesday, which would exclude sweets and other dessert items from being bought using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The bill would exclude soft drinks, candy, ice cream, and prepared desserts from being purchased through SNAP in both an effort to save taxpayers money and ensure healthy foods are priorities among SNAP users, Brecheen said in a release.
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“Why should our taxpayer dollars be allowed to be spent on junk foods that provide no nutritional value and contribute to America’s obesity epidemic? This is a commonsense reform that will protect taxpayer dollars, improve diet quality, and in the long run will reduce medical costs, with the CDC finding that obesity costs $150 billion per year in the U.S. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation,” Brecheen said in a statement.
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study, taxpayers are set to spend $240 billion on unhealthy foods over the next decade.
In addition, a study published by the National Institutes of Health found in 2011 that counties with a poverty rate higher than 35% had obesity rates 145% higher than wealthier counties.
The bill would also require the United States secretary of agriculture to make sure the food that is eligible to be purchased using SNAP “promotes the health” of the recipient and “reflects nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns.”
Co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Laurel Lee (R-FL), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), and Michael Cloud (R-TX).
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Brecheen’s legislation is a companion bill to Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) Healthy SNAP Act he filed in the Senate earlier this year.
“Taxpayer dollars should not be spent on junk food. The Healthy SNAP Act will ensure that SNAP program funds go toward healthy nutritious food rather than soda, chips, ice cream or cake,” Rubio said in a statement.