A federal judge has overturned the Trump administration’s effort to allow states to prohibit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from using their public benefits to buy soft drinks and candy.
“Congress defined what ‘food’ is supposed to be, and it did not authorize the agency to amend or waive the definition it enacted. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in a filing, affirming that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not have the authority “to cut types of food out of SNAP entirely.”
The Lawsuit Against The Ban
Judge Jackson’s ruling comes after five SNAP recipients, each from Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia, Colorado, and Tennessee, sued the USDA for authorizing “submitted requests to conduct pilot projects” from 23 states, aimed at prohibiting beneficiaries from purchasing certain food items.
According to the proceedings filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, these five states requested pilot projects from Apr. 1, 2025, to August 12, 2025.
“Each state sought to waive the federal definition of ‘food’ and replace it with a definition that excluded specific items,” the filing states.
Congress Did Not Authorize The USDA to "Ignore" Congress' Directives
Judge Jackson argued that Congress “set out clearly the type of experimental projects that could be tested to address the unquestionably serious health issues attributed to the rise of obesity in the population in general and particularly the low-income population.”
Congress did not, however, grant USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins the ability “to ignore its directives by trying to advance those ends under the banner of ‘efficiency’ or administrative improvements.”
Judge Jackson asserted in her ruling that she was vacating and remanding the letters of authorization sent out by Secretary Rollins.
USDA Fires Back
"The idea that taxpayer funds should not be used to purchase junk food should not be controversial," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. "We will not be backing down from the fight to Make America Healthy Again, including for families and communities reliant on SNAP."
