Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this week that Americans who are receiving food stamps may soon be banned from using them to purchase junk food.
Rollins made the remarks while answering questions from reporters outside the White House on Friday about working with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the SNAP program.
“I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, do we have the healthiest choices?” she said. “So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?”
She said that she looked forward to working with DOGE to see where the SNAP program is wasting money and if it is meeting the metrics required to hit its goals.
“Oftentimes, these government programs are started with the idea that you’re going to help people — it’s not a handout, it’s a hand up — and then years later, the programs are even bigger, and you’ve got more people on them,” she said. “And are we really giving people a hand up, or is it instead a handout? So if we can have a whole other group of really smart people looking at SNAP and other programs at USDA, that will allow us to ensure, what are our metrics for success? Are we meeting those metrics for success?”
“Will we ever take food out of a hungry child’s mouth? Of course not. This is the United States of America,” she continued. “But truly, this program has grown so large, especially in the last administration. Under Biden, I think SNAP, grew almost 30% more than before.”
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According to the USDA, more than 42 million people received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2023, costing the country well over $110 billion per year.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins welcomes RFK Jr.’s help reforming SNAP to cut “bad food and sugary drinks”
“When a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who need something more… pic.twitter.com/nFeooY3fkM
— American Values 🗽 (@AVPac_US) February 15, 2025
Related: Why Can Food Stamps Buy Junk Food? How DOGE Could Save Billions And MAHA
