Trump administration urged to promote healthy eating among SNAP recipients: 'Let's Make America Healthy Again'

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, has written a letter to the Trump administration heads of the Health and Agriculture departments, advocating for the elimination of junk food from the federal food stamp program.

"The SNAP program, a $113 billion federal initiative, is intended to aid low-income families with food assistance. However, Sanders argued in a letter to HHS Secretary-nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary-nominee Brooke Rollins that the program is harming the health of millions of Americans by promoting the consumption of highly processed, unhealthy junk food."

"Nearly 23 percent, or $25 billion, of SNAP purchases are made up of unhealthy snacks, candy, soda, and dessert. This relationship between junk food and poor health is being exacerbated by our federal food assistance policies, which are contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a host of other chronic health conditions across the country."

Sanders used her experience as a mother of three to motivate her efforts to enhance maternal health outcomes for children. She pointed out that one-third of her state's population suffers from diabetes or pre-diabetes, and 40% struggle with obesity.

Lower-income families, who are disproportionately affected by health conditions, are the same people who rely on SNAP for food, Sanders wrote.

According to Sanders, a study by Stanford University Professor Jayanta Bhattacharya, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the National Institutes of Health, found that removing sugary drinks and snacks from the SNAP program would prevent obesity in 141,000 children and Type 2 diabetes in 240,000 adults.

"Supporting Arkansas farmers through health-centered SNAP reform is a great opportunity for Americans to enjoy locally grown and harvested poultry, eggs, beef, pecans, peanuts, soy, strawberries, sweet potatoes, rice, peaches, oats, and more," Sanders wrote. "As someone who supports the Trump administration's vision for the future, it's time to end taxpayer-funded junk food and back American farmers."

"As Secretaries, I urge you to cooperate with the Administration in banning the sale of junk food in SNAP and ending taxpayer-funded junk food. Additionally, I would like to inform you that I plan to request a SNAP waiver from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service to promote the sale of fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and protein while prohibiting the use of SNAP for junk food."

Sanders concludes the letter with the statement, "Together, we can and will make America healthy again."

Kennedy Jr. is likely to sympathize with Sanders' letter regarding healthier food in the United States.

"Kennedy previously stated on Planet Chronicle that the current generation of children is swimming in a toxic soup due to process foods, and that industries are corrupting our agencies and mass-poisoning them."