Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is on the “Make America Healthy Again” train, aiming to disqualify some sodas from SNAP benefits and add healthier items.
This initiative comes in the form of two waivers submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins, who is in town this week at the Tennessee State Fair in Wilson County.
Gov. Lee’s waivers request that drinks containing sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and similar ingredients be removed as the primary ingredient from SNAP qualifications. Adding healthier items, including rotisserie chicken, is also on the table.
Sec. Rollins has not approved the waivers yet, but did comment saying, “This is America, if someone wants to buy a Coke and eat a Twix, listen I love Coke and Twix I have no problem with you spending your own money for that. But when you’re asking taxpayer dollars to fund a program that is called the ‘supplemental nutritional assistance program,’ there’s just something inherently immorally wrong with that.”
The Agriculture Secretary adds that more news can be expected on the “Make America Healthy Again” front for Tennessee.
