Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday recounted an amusing encounter between Trump administration officials and soda industry representatives over the federal government’s plan to bar sugary soft drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
According to the Department of Agriculture website, “SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.”
During a cabinet meeting focused on President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, Kennedy said, “I’m working …with [Agriculture] Secretary [Brooke] Rollins on the SNAP program to get sodas and candy off of the food stamp program.”
“I want to thank you for your courage,” RFK Jr. added, speaking to Trump. “You are a business-friendly President — probably the most business-friendly in our history — but you’re also willing to stand up to very, very powerful businesses, and you’ve shown that again and again.”
.@RobertKennedyJr to @realDonaldTrump: “I want to thank you for your courage. You are a business-friendly President—probably the most business-friendly in our history, but you’re also willing to stand up to very, very powerful businesses.” pic.twitter.com/LwW9okrX4z
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 30, 2025
Kennedy then shared, “Secretary Rollins had the soda industry come and knock on her door, very much, very loudly, and they said to her, ‘Well, the SNAP program is not supposed to be about nutrition.”
“She pointed out to them that there is no nutrition in a soda. They said, “Well, it’s not supposed to be about nutrition. And she said to them, ‘The name of the program is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.’ It is about nutrition.”
RFK JR: “The soda industry knocked on our door and said the SNAP program is not supposed to be about nutrition. We pointed out that there is no nutrition in a soda. They said it’s not about nutrition. We said the name of the program is ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance.’” pic.twitter.com/TRy9qAozct
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 30, 2025
Do you support RFK’s MAHA initiatives?
The HHS secretary went on to argue that right now, American taxpayer dollars are paying at both ends for allowing sodas and candy to be purchased with SNAP benefits, given that approximately one-third of youth are diabetic or prediabetic.
“We are paying for the food-like substances that make them diabetic, and then we’re being bankrupted; we’re paying a trillion dollars a year on metabolic dysfunction. It’s existential and it’s not sustainable,” Kennedy said.
The secretary also noted he recently visited four states — Arizona, West Virginia, Utah, and Indiana — which have already applied for waivers allowing them to bar sodas from SNAP benefits as the federal government goes through the regulatory process to make it a nationwide policy.
RFK Jr. and the Governor of West Virginia just brought kids on stage as the Governor signed a bold new waiver — removing soda from SNAP and eliminating harmful food dyes from school meals.
This is what Making America Healthy Again looks like.
Let’s hope more governors have the… pic.twitter.com/r0O5D9HFgf
— End Tribalism in Politics (@EndTribalism) March 28, 2025
RFK Jr. further highlighted that the Food and Drug Administration, which falls under HHS, released its plans last week to bar nine petroleum-based dyes from food products.
Kennedy reported to Trump, “We are already making America healthy again.”
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