Rubio calls for Congress to bar SNAP purchases of soda, junk foods

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is calling for Congress to reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to prohibit the purchases of junk food with federal benefits. 

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Tuesday, the senator cited U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data that 20 percent of the program’s spending goes toward unhealthy foods and drinks.

“More than 40 percent of U.S. adults are obese, and roughly half have diabetes or prediabetes. These diseases can be debilitating. They are also extremely expensive, costing hundreds of billions of dollars in medical costs each year,” Rubio wrote. “That SNAP plays a role in their spread is immoral, irresponsible and reprehensible.”

Rubio wrote that he plans to introduce legislation that would “explicitly exclude” sodas and prepared desserts from SNAP, reworking the program to push for healthier food options such as milk and pure fruit juice. 

“Such common-sense reform would promote healthier diets at no additional cost and, in the long run, reduce medical expenses. It would also begin to address food deserts in low-income neighborhoods,” Rubio wrote. “If soft drinks and sweets are no longer SNAP-eligible, corner stores and supermarkets will have more incentive to stock healthier foods.”

The USDA report Rubio cites says that 20 cents of every dollar spent under the benefits program goes toward “sweetened beverages, deserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar.”

Rubio argued that a coalition of progressive mayors had pushed for changes to restrict the use of SNAP funds to pay for such foods, and that the former Agriculture secretaries to former Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama warned that ignoring nutrition in this country has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans each day. 

“The former secretaries’ pleas went unanswered in 2018, but Congress has an opportunity to get it right as we work on the next farm bill,” Rubio wrote.

“As with everything in Washington, this proposal has opponents. But there is nothing compassionate or responsible about spending taxpayer dollars on empty calories that contribute to health crises,” Rubio added.