Healthy or Heavy-Handed? Trump Admin Limits What SNAP Can Buy
Six additional states reached agreements Wednesday with the Trump administration to restrict the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for certain foods, expanding a push to limit purchases of sugary drinks and other items often labeled as junk food.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee will ban SNAP benefits from being used to buy items such as soft drinks, candy and some processed foods under waivers approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The deals bring the total number of states with approved SNAP food restrictions to 18.
“With these new waivers, we are empowering states to lead, protecting our children from the dangers of highly-processed foods, and moving one step closer to the President’s promise to Make America Healthy Again,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in a USDA press release.
The waivers are part of the Trump administration’s broader “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which has sought to reshape federal nutrition programs by giving states more authority to regulate what benefits can purchase. USDA officials said states that adopt the restrictions may qualify for additional federal health funding tied to rural health initiatives.
The administration has also pushed sweeping changes to SNAP since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. A sweeping budget law expanded work requirements for adults ages 18 to 64 and shifted more administrative costs to states. While supporters argue the changes encourage employment and healthier choices, critics say they will lessen access to food assistance.
Trump has long criticized the welfare system, arguing that it fosters dependency and poor health outcomes. During his first presidency, his administration proposed similar SNAP restrictions and sought to tighten eligibility rules, though many efforts were blocked or stalled. Trump has repeatedly said that government assistance programs should prioritize work and personal responsibility and has described welfare programs as poorly managed and overly permissive.
SNAP is the nation’s largest nutrition assistance program and serves about 42 million people per month, roughly 12% of the U.S. population. Federal spending on SNAP totaled nearly $100 billion last year. The average monthly benefit was about $187 per person.
Most SNAP benefits go to households with heightened need. About 86 percent of benefits are received by families with children, elderly adults or people with disabilities. Children make up roughly 38% of all SNAP participants, while adults age 60 and older account for about 18%. Nearly all SNAP households have incomes at or below 130% of the federal poverty level.
Participation varies widely by state. In some states, more than 20 percent of residents receive SNAP benefits, while in others the rate is closer to 5 percent. By race and ethnicity, white Americans make up the largest share of recipients at about 36%, followed by Black Americans at roughly 27% and Hispanic Americans at about 24%.
Anti-hunger advocates have criticized the food restrictions, saying research has not shown that limiting purchases improves nutrition and warning that the policy stigmatizes low-income families. Retailers and state officials also face logistical challenges in enforcing item bans across thousands of stores.
The newly approved restrictions are scheduled to take effect in 2026, pending final implementation plans in each state.