Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) recently got into a heated conversation with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) advocate on why hard-working taxpayers should be paying for those on food stamps to have sugary drinks. The exchange was soon clipped and shared around social media where it quickly went viral.
The conversation was part of a hearing by the House Oversight subcommittee to examine waste, fraud, and abuse in the SNAP program, which roughly costs $100 billion to provide food for over 40 million Americans. Gina Plata-Nino, the director of policy and advocacy for the Food Research and Action Center, struggled and ultimately failed to provide a straight answer on why tax dollars should be spent to provide recipients with sugary drinks.
“You think they need Coca Cola to survive?” Gill asked Plata-Nino. “You think that’s the most appropriate use of our tax dollars? … Do the American people need Coca-Cola to survive? You think there’s some Americans who need Coca Cola to survive? Is that your testimony? … I think most people can rationally say that you don’t need Coca Cola to survive, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I agree that we have a hunger crisis and that we need to address it by ensuring that people have the food resources that we need,” Plata-Nino said, according to a report from The Daily Caller. Gill pushed Plata-Nino to provide an explanation for the nutritional value of Coca-Cola. “I am not a nutritionist, I am a food security expert in ensuring that individuals have the food resources that they need,” Plato-Nino responded.
“This is a common-sense question,” Gill stated. “All of these have been common sense questions. I’m just asking you if there’s nutritional value to sugary sodas.” Plata-Nino replied, “I am not an expert.” For those who are curious, Coca-Cola has 140 calories, 0 grams of fat, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 39 grams of added sugars, and 0 grams of protein. It also includes high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, and caffeine.
A judge appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama recently ruled that SNAP recipients could use their SNAP benefits to purchase foods many health professionals consider to be unhealthy. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins gave her stamp of approval to waivers in 23 states, allowing them to place prohibitions on SNAP participants from using their benefits to buy items like candy and soda.
“USDA is empowering states with greater flexibility to manage their programs by approving SNAP Food Restriction Waivers that restrict the purchase of non-nutritious items like soda and candy,” USDA’s statement went on to say. “These waivers are a key step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars provide nutritious options that improve health outcomes within SNAP.”
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In the state of Maryland, an individual received a 54-month sentence to be served out in a federal prison for “masterminding” a “fraud scheme” involving SNAP benefits, along with other related crimes, according to a report released by the Justice Department. There are likely many such schemes taking place in states across the United States.
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