The Department of Agriculture oversees the SNAP program, also known as 'food stamps.'
Earlier this year, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, told the Wall Street Journal that the goal of the ban is not to hurt any industry but rather support and promote healthier lifestyles. Soda companies, in particular, are fighting to ensure their products will still stay in the program.
"No one is saying you can't have a Diet Coke or a candy bar," said Sanders. "We're saying you can't do it with taxpayer money."
Nic Horton of Opportunity Arkansas says the program is an important program, but it should be reserved for people who truly need it, and it should be going to nutritional items.
"They've renamed the program Supplemental Nutrition Program," says Horton. "It's not a supplemental soda program or a supplemental candy program. It's supplemental nutrition. When you look at food stamps today, billions and billions of dollars are going to junk food, and that's inappropriate."
Opportunity Arkansas posted on X about this change saying that Arkansas is one of the first states to implement this measure to ensure that food and not junk is provided. Indiana is another state that has removed these products from the SNAP program.
Horton added that the government is responsible for ensuring taxpayer funded benefits are being spent wisely.
"Taxpayers are forced to pay for these benefits, only for them to buy Coke, Diet Coke, Cheetos, Oreos, and all these horrible foods that on the back end have serious health concerns," says Horton. "Guess what, taxpayers are forced through Medicaid and Medicare to help them try to fix these health problems that taxpayers have been subsidizing for decades."
As a result, Horton views this as a commonsense measure. He adds that "a majority of Arkansas voters support this policy."
