I grew up on food stamps. That’s why I support healthier SNAP standards

Not everyone will agree with my views on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but I hope you will hear me out. While I firmly believe that SNAP is an essential lifeline feeding millions of Americans, reasonable standards on purchases are necessary to ensure the program fulfills its intended mission.

Federal policy should prevent SNAP dollars from being used to buy junk food, candy and sugary beverages. Critics argue that SNAP recipients should have the same total purchasing freedom as any grocery customer. I understand that perspective, but SNAP is not a neutral cash benefit. It is a targeted nutrition assistance program funded by taxpayers to improve food security and health outcomes. As such, establishing clear boundaries around what SNAP buys, while encouraging healthier purchasing habits, is fundamental to achieving its mandate.

Where I live in south Texas, we are facing a serious obesity and diabetes crisis. These health issues are not new, but they continue to worsen, affecting individuals, families and communities across the region, not to mention straining our healthcare system. If we are truly serious about addressing these public health concerns, we must be willing to confront hard truths and demand meaningful policy alignment.

Not every SNAP recipient struggles with chronic illness, but far too many do. We cannot afford to ignore this. Decades of research show that regular consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages contributes directly to metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes. When........

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