I don't think that's how it's working out. The reporter does a very poor job explaining the chang, but in the examples given, the hypothetical family with illegal immigrant parents became no longer eligible for food stamps.
Btw, why can't we make food stamps usable ONLY for certain foods, e.g. dried beans, rice, rolled oats, peanut butter, milk, bread, eggs, cheese, and fresh fruit and veg?
Something like this is already done with the WIC ("Women Infants and Children). So it IS logistically possible.
Here's a better question. Why is any of my money being used to feed anyone, unless through my charity, I choose to feed them?
I wondered that too, when I watched a 5'2" 300 pound bleach blond (complete with capri pants and ankle tattoos) buy a large fountain drink and a King Size candybar with an EBT card, and then pull out a fat fistfull of change to buy 2 packs of smokes @ $4 a pack.
Junk Food” & Luxury Items
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) defines eligible food as any food or food product for home consumption and also includes seeds and plants which produce food for consumption by SNAP households. The Act precludes the following items from being purchased with SNAP benefits: alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot food and any food sold for on-premises consumption. Nonfood items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, medicines and vitamins, household supplies, grooming items, and cosmetics, also are ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.
Soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream are food items and are therefore eligible items
Seafood, steak, and bakery cakes are also food items and are therefore eligible items
Since the current definition of food is a specific part of the Act, any change to this definition would require action by a member of Congress. Several times in the history of SNAP, Congress had considered placing limits on the types of food that could be purchased with program benefits. However, they concluded that designating foods as luxury or non-nutritious would be administratively costly and burdensome.