The Trump Administration Is Wrong on Sugar and SNAP
In one of its first policy decisions affecting low-income Americans, the Trump administration recently denied a request from the state of Maine to restrict sugary beverages and candy from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. As one of the country’s largest safety programs, SNAP (formerly the food stamps program) provides billions of dollars each year to low-income households to buy food with the explicit aim of improving nutrition. Sugary beverages have no place in a government-funded nutrition program like SNAP, making the Trump administration’s decision disappointing.
The denial of Maine’s request is more than a simple disagreement between the executive branch and one state. States are in a difficult position. While they share the medical costs for low-income populations with the federal government through Medicaid, they are not allowed to restrict products from SNAP that lead to poor health. But states should be allowed to experiment with how they implement government programs intended to help their residents. Congress, meanwhile, should consider an outright ban of sugary beverages from SNAP in the upcoming Farm Bill.
There is no longer any question in the medical field that sugary beverages lead to poor health. Consumption of sugary beverages have consistently been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, and dementia, among other things. Health conditions such as these have enormous cost implications. One study estimated that obesity alone contributed to 11 percent of total Medicaid costs; the long-term care costs associated with dementia are also largely borne by Medicaid.
Similar SNAP restriction requests were made to other administrations, including previous proposals from Maine, Minnesota, and New York City. They were also denied. The justifications were the same: It is too costly to administer; it imposes burdens on small retailers; it is too difficult to define products that are allowed and not allowed; plans to evaluate the health impacts of such efforts are too challenging.
The problem? These arguments are meritless. Retailers across the country already restrict certain items from SNAP purchases, including alcohol, tobacco, and prepared foods such as deli sandwiches. So why would adding sugary beverages or candy be any more costly or burdensome? Other nutrition programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the National School Lunch Program, have no problem defining what it allowed and not allowed on nutritional grounds.
So then why did the federal government deny Maine’s request? One explanation is that it is part of a broader effort by the federal government to deny any state the opportunity to experiment by restricting certain drinks or foods. But this is entirely inconsistent with the recent letter from USDA, which states: “We believe States are laboratories of innovation and seek to learn from you what works and what does not.” It is also contrary to the principles that the Trump administration has so far been willing to embrace when it comes to anti-poverty policy.
President Trump’s administration has governed in a consistently conservative way when it comes to anti-poverty policy. The president has repeatedly mentioned the importance of work in his remarks about safety net programs. And recently, his Medicaid administrator and the acting official who oversees SNAP both sent letters to states to encourage innovation and experimentation. All of this makes the administration’s decision to deny a sugary-beverage ban that much more puzzling.
Another explanation of the denial is general opposition to these types of restrictions. Such opposition largely comes from two camps: anti-hunger groups concerned about targeting low-income populations, and industry officials concerned about their bottom line. But low-income populations themselves largely favor restrictions. Furthermore, even with such restrictions, SNAP benefit levels would remain the same, meaning that the same amount of money would be available to spend on other, more healthy products.
Governor LePage of Maine has pledged to revise and resubmit the waiver request. And Congress is currently considering various changes to SNAP in the upcoming Farm Bill. The Trump administration should reverse its decision and let Maine experiment with SNAP restrictions. At the same time, Congress should seriously consider proposals to ban sugary beverages from SNAP altogether. It might prove to be the needed difference to improve the health of low-income residents as well as reduce the costs associated with treating them.
Angela Rachidi is a research fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Previously, she served as deputy commissioner for policy research and evaluation for the Department of Social Services in New York City.
