Judge blocks Trump administration's move to ban SNAP purchases of soda, candy

In a setback to the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) mission, a federal judge ruled Monday that the Agriculture Department had exceeded its authority in imposing a ban on the purchase of soft drinks and candy using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds. "Congress defined what 'food' is supposed to be, and it did not authorize the agency to amend or waive the definition it enacted," Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in her opinion. "It did not authorize the agency to cut types of food out of SNAP entirely."  

Earlier this year, multiple states were ordered to enact the ban, with Secretary Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins supporting the agenda, CBS News reported. SNAP recipients in five states—Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia—sued the agency for banning these products, claiming that it could destabilize access to food for people using the program's benefits. The plaintiffs also stated that the ban would make it difficult for people with chronic illnesses to access food and beverages used to manage their blood sugar levels. The judge ruled that the Agriculture Department did not have the authority to impose the ban. 

However, an Agriculture Department spokesperson said that they will not back down from "the fight to Make America Healthy Again." "The idea that taxpayer funds should not be used to purchase junk food should not be controversial," the spokesperson said. "We will not be backing down from the fight to Make America Healthy Again, including for families and communities reliant on SNAP."

Agriculture Secretary Rollins, too, criticized the decision, calling the federal judge an "activist." She claimed that SNAP benefits should not be used for "sugar bombs fueling obesity, diabetes, and skyrocketing healthcare costs for low-income families," in a post on X.

Sharing his thoughts on the ruling, Kennedy Jr. said that taxpayer money should not be used to purchase products that are considered unhealthy. "Today's ruling does not change the facts about the health harms associated with excessive sugar consumption. We will continue pursuing every available path to Make America Healthy Again," he added. Democrats, meanwhile, welcomed the judgment.

Rep. Shontel Brown claimed that the Trump administration's efforts to restrict SNAP purchases were illegal in a post on X. "Millions have already lost nutrition assistance because of Trump's Big Ugly Law. We need to protect nutrition benefits, not weaken them," she wrote. The Trump administration continues to come under criticism for cutting SNAP benefits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed in 2025.

Rep. Summer Lee said that it was a shame that the government was making cuts to a program meant to serve the needy. "There is no shame in getting the resources you need. The shame is that our government is cutting programs like SNAP and making it harder for families to afford food and basic necessities," she wrote in a post on X.