A Missouri woman receiving government food assistance expressed frustration this week over new federal restrictions that will limit what she can purchase with her benefits, telling a local news station the changes are unwelcome.
Hannah Moore spoke with KMOV reporter John Kipper on Thursday about the upcoming restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds.
The changes will prohibit recipients from using their benefits to purchase candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, and similar items.
Moore voiced her discontent with the policy changes in direct terms. “That’s not even cool, like why they do that?” she told the St. Louis television station.
The Missouri resident also indicated confusion about the source of the new policy direction.
“I don’t know what Trump is doing or what is going on,” Moore stated during her interview.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the approval of waiver requests from Missouri and five additional states on Wednesday.
The approved waivers allow these states to implement restrictions on certain food purchases beginning October 1, 2026.
The restrictions target specific categories of food items considered to have minimal nutritional value.
Sugar-sweetened drinks and candy are among the primary products that will no longer be eligible for purchase using SNAP benefits in the participating states.
SNAP, commonly referred to as food stamps, operates as a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and individual state governments.
The program aims to supplement grocery budgets for low-income families, enabling them to purchase food items.
The program’s stated purpose is to help recipients buy nutritious food essential to health and well-being, according to USDA documentation.
Data from Tuesday shows that 18 states have now received federal waivers permitting them to prohibit junk food purchases through the program.
Moore expressed particular concern about how the restrictions would affect families with children.
“Thank God I don’t got kids, but the people out there with kids are not going to be cool,” she told Kipper.
She raised questions about whether parents would maintain the ability to purchase snack foods their children prefer.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has advocated for removing sugary drinks from SNAP-eligible purchases, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal.
Kennedy has positioned this effort as part of addressing chronic disease rates in America.
The push to restrict certain food purchases connects to Kennedy’s broader Make America Healthy Again initiative, frequently shortened to MAHA.
The movement focuses on tackling chronic disease rates that currently affect approximately three out of every five Americans.
WATCH:
SNAP has faced multiple policy changes and challenges in recent months.
During the federal government shutdown that occurred in October and November, the program became a point of legal contention.
Several federal district judges issued orders directing the Trump administration to use contingency funding to maintain SNAP benefits during the shutdown period.
The Supreme Court reversed those judicial orders on Nov. 8, shortly before lawmakers reached an agreement ending the shutdown, per the Daily Caller.
Additional changes to SNAP eligibility have been implemented beyond the food restriction waivers.
A Dec. 3 news report documented complaints about new work requirements affecting program participants.
