Six more states have reached agreements with the Trump administration to prohibit the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to buy junk food, expanding a growing nationwide effort to steer taxpayer-funded assistance toward more sensible choices.
The new waivers — completed Wednesday — were announced by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said the expansion aligns with President Donald Trump's Make America Healthy Again agenda.
Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia will join the 12 states that had previously adopted similar restrictions.
"We all know we're at the point where we must do something to correct the chronic health problems that Americans face," Rollins said in a statement.
Under the new terms, states can block SNAP purchases of items categorized as non-nutritious, including soda, energy drinks, sugary juices, prepared desserts, and candy. The exact definitions vary from state to state, but most of the changes will take effect Jan. 1.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, who oversees Medicare and Medicaid programs, said states adopting the junk food ban will receive more federal support.
"As the six documents here that were signed by Secretary Rollins today would attest, there's a lot of interest in this — you get paid extra money," he said.
According to the USDA, the waivers are intended to ensure that federal nutrition assistance leads to better health outcomes.
"These waivers are a key step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars provide nutritious options that improve health outcomes within SNAP," the agency said in a statement.
SNAP served roughly 42 million Americans per month in fiscal 2024 — about 12% of the U.S. population — underscoring the scale of the policy shift.
Earlier this month, the administration also announced it would pause aid to Democrat-led states that fail to provide required identifying information about SNAP recipients, including immigration status.
The decision followed months of turbulence across the safety net system during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
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