A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from allowing states to bar SNAP recipients from using their food benefits to buy soft drinks and candy.
SNAP recipients in five states Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia — sued the agency alleging the move would 'destabilize food access' for people on food stamps and argued the ban makes it difficult for people with chronic illnesses to access food or drinks needed to maintain their health, including items used to manage blood sugar.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who ruled that the USDA lacked the authority to approve the restrictions, said in her opinion wasn’t a comment on whether the restrictions are a good idea.
In her opinion, she wrote, “Congress defined what 'food' is supposed to be, and it did not authorize the agency to amend or waive the definition it enacted. It did not authorize the agency to cut types of food out of SNAP entirely.'
Earlier this year, 23 states, including Texas, received approval from the USDA to enact the ban, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins backing efforts to strip foods deemed unhealthy from the $100 billion federal program. While it's a federally funded program, food stamps are administered by each state, and each of the 22 states receiving waivers have their own restrictions on SNAPeligible foods, with some only opting to restrict soda while others are restricting candy, energy drinks, prepared desserts and more.
While the ruling only applies to the five states where the plaintiffs live, it could have implications for the remaining 18 states with similar bans, according to the Food Research & Action Center.