Full Breakdown
Judge Blocks SNAP Sugar Restrictions in Five States
6/24/2026, 12:10:07 AM
Background
The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) program, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, asked the USDA to let Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia ban SNAP purchases of soda, candy and similar items; the agency issued waivers in 2025, redefining “food” for the pilots.
Key Players
Key actors include Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the USDA, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, NCLEJ, and opposition groups FRAC, Nebraska Appleseed and NACS.
Timeline
- Apr–Aug 2025: States submit waiver requests.
- Mar 2026: Five SNAP recipients sue, claiming the bans hurt health and access.
- Jun 22-23 2026: Judge Jackson issues a 68-page ruling blocking the waivers.
Scope and Numbers
SNAP serves about 42 million low-income Americans with $100 billion in benefits each year. The USDA had approved waivers in 23 states; the ruling restores full SNAP purchasing power in the 5 states targeted by the pilots. Restrictions covered soda, energy drinks, candy and similar products.
Implications
The decision confirms Congress, not the USDA, defines “food” for SNAP and that health-improvement goals cannot expand the program’s scope. It preserves beneficiaries’ ability to buy sugary items that some rely on for medical reasons, while signaling a legal limit on MAHA pilots.
Responses
USDA spokesperson reiterated that taxpayer funds should not be used for junk food. Kennedy called the waivers a “major step toward reducing chronic disease.” NCLEJ called the ruling a “major step in restoring essential food assistance.” Nebraska Appleseed said the bans “create hurdles for families,” and NACS director Margaret Mannion warned the waivers “make SNAP more confusing, not efficient.”
Personal Impact
Marc Craig testified he can no longer buy Pedialyte or Gatorade with SNAP benefits, affecting his kidney-disease management.
Conflicting Data & Gaps
Sources report 22, 23, or 18 pending state waivers; USDA has not said if it will appeal.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The federal defendants and the states may have a genuine desire to improve the health of SNAP households by encouraging healthy choices at the store and they can take lawful steps to meet those goals. But what they cannot do is violate the law and their own regulations along the way.” — Judge Amy Berman Jackson
- “the idea that taxpayer funds should not be used to purchase junk food should not be controversial.” — USDA spokesperson
- “This decision makes clear that the USDA cannot bypass the legal guardrails that establish how SNAP must operate across the country,” — Katharine Deabler-Meadows, NCLEJ
- “He said that he used to maintain his sodium and sugar levels with Pedialyte or Gatorade, but is no longer able to purchase those with his SNAP benefits.” — Marc Craig, SNAP recipient, Iowa
