USDA Might Ban Purchase of Sugary Drinks With Food Stamps

‘Are we OK with us using their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary drinks to children?’ Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins asked.

Brooke Rollins, then-nominee for agriculture secretary, speaks during her Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen building in Washington on Jan. 23, 2025. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

The new head of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, could be barred from using SNAP benefits to purchase sugary drinks and food.

“Will we ever take food out of a hungry child’s mouth? Of course not, this is the United States of America,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters at the White House driveway on Feb. 14.