Posted on 02/16/2025 2:25:54 AM PST by Libloather
WASHINGTON — Americans on food stamps may be banned from using them to buy “sugary drinks” and other junk food, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday.
The newly appointed cabinet official said she will work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — to prioritize food-stamp benefits for healthy food items.
“Will we ever take food out of a hungry child’s mouth? Of course not, this is the United States of America, Rollins told reporters on the White House driveway.
“Truly, this program has grown so large, especially in the last administration. Under Biden, I think [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] grew almost 30% more than before. We really need to look at where that money is going, what it’s being spent on,” she said.
“I look forward to working with Bobby Kennedy as we figure out, ‘Do we have the healthiest choices?’ So when a taxpayer is putting money into SNAP, are we OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious?”
Rollins and Kennedy were both confirmed by the Senate Thursday and will serve on President Trump’s new 13-member Make America Healthy Again commission.
In fiscal 2023, 42.1 million people received SNAP benefits, according to USDA.
The program’s cost was $112.8 billion annually, with benefits averaging $211.93 per month.
It’s unclear how the plan might work, though the idea already is under consideration in Congress.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Just like the old WIC program, it listed the items you “could buy”, like milk, bread, eggs, cheese, etc. That would solve a lot of abuse, maybe.
“Discontinue use at fast food joints”?
But then, where would we find our next 450lb rapper?
“How these ilk come into OUR country, uninvited, and commit crimes with virtually no punishment escapes me.”
Me too. Cause they have even bigger fish to fry I guess.
Hasn’t working for food stamps been tried? I vaguely remember someone suing over this as it was cruel to make people work for the food. Same with not buying junk foods.
Locally one pizza shop advertises they will take EBT cards! The people are not working so should have time to prepare meals themselves.
On the other hand maybe they should say they want the freeloaders to buy nothing but junk food so they will die off sooner?
I drove a cab in Alexandria Va in the early 80’s. At the end of every month the runs from public housing went up 5 fold and were 90% to the liquor store
I agree. Staple foods...
I have always thought it should be restricted to fruit, meat, poultry, vegetables, flour, and dairy products.
Being able to buy Cheetos, Diet Coke, and Lucky Charms is stupidity.
Your example is ludicrous, just like a bleeding heart liberal whining about *the children are going to starve*. Aww, someone is going to offend some little old lady.
I have news for you, those little old ladies are not all Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. They can be crafty and very manipulating and I've seen it myself. And alcoholics to boot.
Nobody should be subsidizing any alcoholic drinks, wine to a little old lady or not.
And nobody is talking about cutting bread and pasta.
The article addresses what needs to be cut.
And yes, anyone who takes government handouts should be required to accept it with the strings. When it's someone else's money given as a handout, yes, attach strings.
If they don't like the strings attached, they can find some other way to feed themselves.
As an old friend of mine used to say.
*Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.*
A big YES to your suggestions.
And basic dental is something that can also help the person get a job by improving their appearance.Same for basic haircut.For some a decent running used car is all that is needed so they can get to a job.
I know of a woman who recently lost her job because her son had to stay in her car while she worked.Punished for trying.
Exactly right. They poverty line cut off is ridiculous, too. A friend of mine needed public assistance for a while after her husband died, but she made about $400 too much to qualify. But still too little to really survive on. They need a a system to taper back and give people a little time to manage their finances and get established.
And if they refuse to improve their lot in that time, then cut off the bennies.
We lived in a welfare town for 18 long years. It was like living an episode of COPS. The welfare abuse we saw was unreal. I can't recall seeing anyone on it who didn't abuse it.
I can’t believe they’re able to buy those things WITH OUR MONEY, anyhow. What the hell?
And then they whine and complain and can hardly move.
The people who feed and clean up after them need to put their foot down, put them on a diet and say, *You're responsible*.
What are they going to do besides yell and scream? Most of them can hardly walk to the bathroom, and some can't even get out of bed. They pose no threat to anyone.
I remember that.
VERY good point.
“Punished for trying”
Yep, generally the system is built that way on purpose. But speaking of staying in cars... The truly “homeless” living under a bridge or in their cars can’t get any help at all because they do not have a “physical address”.
How ironic is that?
+1
But honestly, giving away stamps for years and years and years is ALWAYS insane.
My dearly departed pop pass in 1980...but he had his first stroke 15 years earlier.
We were on food stamps and welfare for about the 2 years it took for mom to get a nursing degree and a job.
She told me she used to shot in the middle of the night so no one could see her using food stamps because she was so embarassed.
That’s a little extreme but imagine if they were only given out for a limited time and in Extremely needful situations...then we would all know that the person using them really must need them and it wouldn’t be embarassing to use them.
Not that anyone is embarassed anymore.
That generation is gone.
Mom was a nurse for 25 years and is 92.
I was 14 when pop died and she was was 50...she had already been a nurse for over 10 years.
She was/is tough.
Absolutely, a compromise is absolutely logical as preventative maintenance and saving more in the long run. There are those who will scream and holler “not one dime period!”
Well those folks have never been in business and do not understand that logical investments up front save much much more in overhead over the long run.
Welfare assistance could be done in a way to help people out of poverty BUT that would refuce the number of clients ,the high paying government welfare afministration jobs,the fraud at all levels,and alcohol sales.
IMO, the whole system basically needs to be abolished, but it can’t be cold turkey.
As part of accepting subsidies, there should be financial counseling to teach people how to budget, although from the attitude of most welfare recipients, they’ll pretend to go along with it, play the victim (they’re great actors) and then bad mouth those who are trying to help them and not make any changes.
The entitlement mentality among the welfare class is unbelievable.
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