Tag Archives: USDA

Winning: Several states move to not cover soda and candy under SNAP

Posted on August 5, 2025 by | 5 comments

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to help low-income families supplement their grocery budgets with nutritious food. Soda and candy do not fall under that category.

Robert Kennedy Jr., as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has vowed to Make America Healthy Again, especially as it relates to children. Twelve states are moving in the right direction to make that happen. From MSN:

“More states are changing what SNAP benefits will cover at the grocery store.

Soda is now excluded from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in six more states: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Florida, and West Virginia. Four of those states, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Florida, have banned candy as well.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the changes are a start in addressing chronic diseases and other health issues.

“It is incredible to see so many states take action at this critical moment in our nation’s history and do something to begin to address chronic health problems. President Trump has changed the status quo, and the entire cabinet is taking action to Make America Healthy Again. At USDA, we play a key role in supporting Americans who fall on hard times, and that commitment does not change. Rather, these state waivers promote healthier options for families in need,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

The American Beverage Association is opposing the efforts to stop food stamps from being used to buy soft drinks.

According to USDA stats, SNAP served an average of 42.1 million people per month in 2023, representing 12.6% of the U.S. population.”

Read the whole story here.

Daily Wire reports that Kennedy sees this as a positive move to reduce the obesity epidemic in the U.S. He said, “We are spending $405 million a day on SNAP and about 10% is going to sugary drinks, and if you add candies to that, it’s about 13-17%.”

I think this is a great start! The new rules are slated to start early next year, depending upon the state. See if your state is on the list here.

DCG

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Demorat USDA IG Phyllis Fong had to be dragged out of office

Posted on February 11, 2025 by | 4 comments

Democrats are insufferable.

As President of the United States, Donald Trump is head of the executive branch of government. US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a bureaucracy within the executive branch, which means Trump is the boss of USDA and its employees, including the inspector general.

The role of the modern-day inspector general dates to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Though inspectors general are presidential appointees, some serve presidents of both parties. All are expected to be nonpartisan. (AP)

On January 24, 2025, President Trump fired about 17 independent inspectors general at various federal government agencies, effective immediately.

But the IG of USDA, one Phyllis Fong, simply refused to comply, and had to be escorted out of her office by security guards.

USDA IG Phyllis Fong

Townhall reports, Jan. 29, 2025:

The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was escorted out of her office by security on Wednesday after she refused to leave following her dismissal by the Trump administration last week.

Phyllis Fong, one of the 17 watchdogs fired last week, told colleagues of her plan to stay, believing the Trump administration did not follow the correct protocols, Reuters reports.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency “has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time,” she wrote in an email to colleagues over the weekend.

Sen. Chuck Grassley has also said the administration did not give the proper 30-day notice of removal to Congress.

But the White House defended the move. “It is the belief of this White House and the White House counsel’s office that the president was within his executive authority” to do so, [White House Press Secretary Karoline] Leavitt said Tuesday.

Trump, she added, “is the executive of the executive branch, and therefore he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to.”

Leavitt then referenced a 2020 Supreme Court decision, Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which ruled that the CFPB’s agency structure violates the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. “I would advise you to look at that case, and that’s the legality that this White House was resting on,” Leavitt said.

Asked by the reporter whether the Trump administration believed its order would survive a lawsuit or court challenge from the former inspectors general, Leavitt responded affirmatively. “We will win in court,” she said decisively, before moving on. (Fox News)

In 2002, Phyllis Fong was nominated by then-President George W. Bush to serve as the IG of USDA. I cannot find Fong’s party affiliation but from her behavior, we have good reason to suspect her of being a Democrat. This is how the White House defended firing her and the other inspectors general (TimesNow):

“These rogue, partisan bureaucrats… have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy.”

President Trump has a good reason to fire Fong — she wasn’t doing her Inspector General job. Look what Elon Musk’s DOGE found:

~E

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Posted in 2024 Election, Democrats, DOGE, Elon Musk, President Donald Trump

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