House Bill 279 would see Kentucky join Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and a number of other states — and now Trump administration officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — who want to exclude select junk foods from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Supporters maintain the change is in line with the assistance program's goal of helping low-income families pay for nutritious food. But it's not that simple, according to advocates.
"Maybe you're shopping for groceries and you wanna buy soda with your SNAP benefits because, guess what, it's your kid's birthday and you want to have some some some sweet treat when you make a cake for your kid," Greg Silverman with the National West Side Campaign for Hunger said. "These are choices that people should be able to make."
Then there are legal questions.
The program is authorized under the Federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says SNAP benefits can be used for "any food or food product intended for human consumption," with exceptions for alcohol, tobacco, and hot foods, like meals prepared at restaurants.
Barring a change on the federal level, the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tells the Associated Press that states would have to get a waiver to allow for the extra restrictions.