A federal judge has struck down the government's authority to let states ban the use of food stamps on sugary drinks and candy, dismantling a key tool that several states were preparing to use in efforts to reshape benefit spending.
The ruling centers on SNAP, the federal food assistance program that serves millions of low-income Americans. The Agriculture Department had been approving state waivers that would have prohibited participants from purchasing items like soda and sweets with their benefits, a policy several states were eager to implement as part of what they framed as nutrition and health initiatives.
The judge determined that the Agriculture Department lacked statutory authority to grant such waivers, effectively reversing the agency's position on the matter. The decision removes a mechanism that states had relied on to restrict the types of food eligible for purchase under the program.
Supporters of the restrictions had argued that limiting SNAP dollars to healthier food choices could improve public health outcomes and reduce obesity rates among low-income households. Critics, however, contended that such bans were paternalistic and could stigmatize benefit recipients by imposing consumption rules that don't apply to other shoppers.
The ruling creates uncertainty for states that had drafted or anticipated implementing such restrictions. Legal experts say the decision underscores the limits of executive discretion in administering federal benefit programs and suggests that any fundamental changes to SNAP eligibility would require Congressional action rather than agency-level approval of state waivers.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This decision exposes the limits of administrative workarounds when Congress hasn't explicitly authorized the power to restrict what poor people can buy."
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