Removing Soda and Energy Drinks from SNAP

Soda and energy drinks will be removed from SNAP benefit eligibility in several states. Fox News Radio's Tonya J. Powers joins us with the details. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News. Steve Kelly and Brett Bakita.
Let's talk a little bit about the Make America Healthy
Again agenda before we get back to your responses on
Tiger's Trivia Again. We're looking for those responses on the
talkback button, which is part of the iHeartRadio app. Tanya
Jay Powers with Fox News Radio in New York, Thanks

(00:20):
for doing this today.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Sure, thank you for having me on.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
So let's talk about the agenda. Right.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
This comes from Rollins an RFK Junior to make America
Healthy Again. And one of the things that's getting headlines,
well two of them soda and energy drinks. So talk
us through this agenda and what's being done.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Okay, Now, to be clear, this is not a national thing.
This affects certain states, and I'm going to explain why
we're talking about that in just a minute. This is
talking about SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program I think
we used to refer to as food stamps prior to
these new waivers that are being signed in certain states.
SNAP recipient there could buy anything except alcohol, tobacco, hot

(01:03):
and prepared foods and personal care products. These particular states,
I'm talking about Arkansas. Idaho, and Utah are the ones
where the new waivers were just signed by the Secretary
of Agriculture, and they're a little bit different. The waiver
for Utah now excludes soft drinks that takes effect January first.

(01:24):
That means the people who are receiving SNAP benefits cannot
use those benefits to buy soft drinks in Utah or
won't be able to after January first. Same deal for Idaho.
It excludes soda and candy and takes effect January first.
In Arkansas, go ahead.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
No, you've go ahead. I want to hear about Arkansas.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Arkansas is a little bit different. These are structured differently.
I'm not sure exactly why. I'm guessing states said, hey,
this is what we need to do. But their waiver
excludes soda low and no calorie soda, fruit and vegetable
drinks with less than fifty percent natural juice, and other
unhild healthy drinks, and candy. I'm not sure exactly what's
in those two categories that did not see a list

(02:04):
that takes effect July of next year.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
So, Tanya, does this come from those states as a
request to the federal level, or is it the other
way around. Is that the agenda of the administration trying
to take effect?

Speaker 2 (02:18):
That is the question I would like to know the
answer to it. I don't really have a clear answer
on it yet. I'm assuming it's the governor's saying, hey,
this is what we would like, but I don't know,
just to be clear, just to give you an idea,
they previously signed waivers already for Nebraska, Iowa, and Indiana.

(02:40):
I looked up the states and as of the fiscal
year of twenty twenty three, your state has fourteen to
fifteen percent of its population is receiving SNAP benefits. Now,
I'm sorry that was as a fiscal year twenty twenty three.
That seems to be the most recent data that I
could look up. Anyway, maybe there may be some for
twenty twenty four, all already out, but just to give

(03:02):
you an idea of what the population of your particular state,
you know, is on the SNAP benefits. This again, these
are these waivers are for these particular states. But as
you can see, there's already six of them have been
signed by the new you know, Secretary of Agriculture since
you know, the president took office again. So I'm wondering

(03:23):
if this is not indicative of a national trend, I'm
going to keep an eye on this to see but
this may be something that we hear more about in
the months to come.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, and we definitely will. Tanya J.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
Powers with Fox News Radio in New York City this morning,
Thanks for your time today.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
Sure, thank you.