Arizona state lawmakers are considering a bill that aims to ban SNAP recipients from buying soda with food stamps.
If passed, the bill would order the Arizona Department of Economic Security to seek approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit Arizona SNAP recipients from buying sodas with their benefits.
No such waiver has been granted to date. But Brooke Rollins, the new head of the Agriculture department, has stated she wants to reform what can be bought with food stamps.
M.J. Simpson is a lobbyist for the William E. Morris Institute for Justice. She urged lawmakers to vote against the legislation.
“HB 2165 represents a governmental overreach into what families and children participating in Arizona’s nutrition assistance program can consume. SNAP is the most effective antihunger program in the country," Simpson said.
The bill initially attempted to do the same to candy, but was amended to focus on soda.
