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BumRushDaShow

(168,951 posts)
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 03:31 PM Thursday

SNAP Recipients Fight Back In Junk Food Crackdown

Source: Newsweek

Published Mar 12, 2026 at 06:43 AM EDT updated Mar 12, 2026 at 08:35 AM EDT


Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients have filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that new restrictions on what they can purchase with the benefits are unlawful and harmful to people who rely on the program.

Five plaintiffs sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, seeking to halt and then overturn SNAP "waivers" that block benefits being used to purchase foods considered low in nutritional value, such as candy and as sugary drinks. The USDA told Newsweek on Thursday it will "not comment on pending litigation."

Why It Matters

New food restrictions waivers have been approved in 22 states, with several already implementing the new blocks. The changes impact millions of low- and no-income Americans who depend on benefits to buy groceries.

The case challenges a policy shift backed by officials in the Trump administration that supporters say is intended to promote healthier diets. The plaintiffs argue the restrictions make it harder for families to access food and manage health conditions, while also creating confusion for shoppers at grocery store checkouts.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/snap-recipients-fight-back-junk-food-ban-waiver-lawsuit-11664497



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SNAP Recipients Fight Back In Junk Food Crackdown (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Thursday OP
Sugar may not be the main problem bucolic_frolic Thursday #1
see post 15 niyad Thursday #20
Just give them the fucking money. They spend more money "discussing" it than it costs. twodogsbarking Thursday #2
It is, and always has been, about control, shaming, and, to a great degree, misogyny, niyad Thursday #11
That is what emotion Ai is for! jfz9580m Friday #53
the money spent investigating and verifying "means tests" rampartd Saturday #101
My sympathies would revolve around a better understanding of "access food", "manage health conditions" and...... FadedMullet Thursday #3
Do we get a say in what type of food the military is served? choie Thursday #5
That's exactly why orangecrush Saturday #116
These rules would prevent a family from using SNAP to buy a birthday cake for their kids. SunSeeker Thursday #9
see post 15 niyad Thursday #19
Sure Cirsium Saturday #107
I don't know... Jacson6 Thursday #4
See post 15 niyad Thursday #21
I'll pay attention to the counter-arguments when healthy food Torchlight Thursday #6
You nailed it "when healthy food is as affordable as many junk foods" quaint Thursday #7
THANK YOU!!! niyad Thursday #18
In what world would high-quality anything be as affordable as junk? Oliver Bolliver Butt Thursday #28
A sane one? niyad Thursday #38
define 'junk' then Oliver Bolliver Butt Thursday #42
Anything I don't like. niyad Thursday #43
Oh, I don't know Cirsium Saturday #106
on that we agree! Oliver Bolliver Butt Saturday #110
Great Cirsium Saturday #111
In the same world that sealions move goalposts Torchlight Friday #57
Oh, come on Cirsium Friday #77
Did my post just get called ridiculous by someone claiming that "food is free"? Oliver Bolliver Butt Friday #96
Correct Cirsium Friday #97
this is why we lose elections Oliver Bolliver Butt Friday #98
Oh, sure it is Cirsium Friday #99
Nice bumper sticker Torchlight Saturday #100
And when healthy food is available moonscape Thursday #35
EXACTLY. see post 15. niyad Thursday #39
Who says they have to buy healthy food? EX500rider Friday #63
You're arguing a point I neither made nor implied. Torchlight Friday #65
Maybe you could acquaint yourself with some of the restrictions, niyad Friday #70
There's certainly some self-righteous sanctimonious posting going on here EX500rider Friday #74
ohhh myyyyyy. Our mileage does indeed vary. Thank you for confirming niyad Friday #86
I'm not against junk food restrictions but I support an increase in the amount provided as eating healthy isn't cheap. cstanleytech Thursday #8
See post 15. niyad Thursday #17
Many poor people lack kitchens in which to whip up those great recipes from scratch with all their helpful vitamins. CTyankee Friday #54
This doesn't stop them from buying TV dinners and macaroni and cheese and other easy quick Foods EX500rider Friday #64
Why do we get to be their food cop? CTyankee Friday #66
If the taxpayer is footing the bill the taxpayer has some say EX500rider Friday #67
I agree. How can we get at this problem as a society? CTyankee Friday #72
Yes which is why produce is a good area to provide more money to spend on as you don't need to cook salads. cstanleytech Friday #68
A great point. The issue is how we get such foods to those who need, but can't afford to buy, those food items. CTyankee Friday #73
"The five plaintiffs--who live in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia..." BaronChocula Thursday #10
Really.?? What, exactly, are we to understand by that? niyad Thursday #12
With the exception of Colorado BaronChocula Thursday #13
Then why include Colorado? niyad Thursday #16
It was taken verbatim from the article BaronChocula Thursday #22
Thank you. niyad Thursday #23
... BaronChocula Thursday #24
Are people in those states less worthy of having food Bettie Thursday #26
The story they want to push with these restrictions, 70sEraVet Thursday #14
I think it's that taxpayer funded diabetes is a bad idea. pcdb Thursday #40
Do you seriously think ANY of this bs debate has to do with genuine concern niyad Thursday #44
Maybe not to Republicans pcdb Thursday #47
That isn't an either/or, regardless of how you frame it. Perhaps you niyad Friday #49
What other issues? pcdb Friday #89
Before I start screaming about the self-righteous sanctimony and niyad Thursday #15
But at what point is the line drawn? Polybius Thursday #37
Supplemental Nutrition. .last I checked, household items do not niyad Thursday #41
Ok, so we're in agreement Polybius Saturday #103
Starting April 1, Texas also will ban SNAP purchases of many drinks that use artificial sweeteners. Celerity Friday #55
yes yes yes yes Cirsium Friday #79
You think household supplies and alcohol should be covered by SNAP? Polybius Saturday #104
Nonsense Cirsium Saturday #105
It's an interesting position that I never heard anyone take Polybius Saturday #113
Why? Cirsium Saturday #114
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Saturday #115
That's what cash assistance is for Polybius Yesterday #123
That isn't what being a Democrat is for Cirsium Yesterday #125
No one is scolding anyone Polybius 8 hrs ago #133
I may be alone Cirsium 5 hrs ago #137
Because it was created for food and beverages Polybius 33 min ago #139
I don't agree Cirsium 25 min ago #140
No, it's a normal approach Polybius Yesterday #122
Normal approach? Cirsium Yesterday #124
Every governor is against your position Polybius 8 hrs ago #134
oh Cirsium 7 hrs ago #136
Totally agree with you IzzaNuDay Friday #56
That's an entirely different issue though but it's one that does need to be addressed urgently IMO. cstanleytech Friday #69
No, it is obviously a central part of the issue. niyad Friday #71
Thank you Cirsium Friday #78
You are most welcome. One would not think such a post was needed niyad Friday #83
Also point out the percentage of SNAP recipients employed at least part-time Alice B. 8 hrs ago #135
Yes, thank you. A most excellent point. niyad 23 min ago #141
If I remember correctly in NYS/C... electric_blue68 Thursday #25
I remember exactly that decades ago when I got food stamps. NH Ethylene Thursday #27
In my case it was just for me... electric_blue68 Thursday #29
I can't speak for NYS, but soda and candy was allowed in NYC when I was on it Polybius Thursday #36
I'm an NYC'r but don't have SNAP anymore... electric_blue68 Thursday #45
I think I wrote this the other day. chouchou Thursday #30
Why should there be ANY "percentage for fun" designation? By WHOSE niyad Thursday #34
I understand your point. I was thinking that the "Other sons-a-####"" would stop trashing the poor.. chouchou Friday #50
I can welll understand your desire to try that. However, as old and jaded niyad Friday #52
Unfortunately, your words are true. I keep hoping that mostly people are kind, fair and just. chouchou Friday #58
It is good to have hope and optimism. niyad Friday #59
Absolutely. We can go shopping like professionals. chouchou Friday #60
yayyyy niyad Friday #61
You haven't been able to buy beer or wine for decades MichMan Thursday #31
see post 15 niyad Thursday #32
OMG, enough with the post #15 GenThePerservering Friday #75
Good for you Cirsium Friday #81
Thank you for confirming my post. niyad Friday #85
Creative use of Reductio ad absurdum. Very serious stuff Torchlight Friday #62
Let us add one little thing to this discussion. Apprroximately FIFTY PERCENT niyad Thursday #33
Not everyone has cooking facilities or equipment. Demobrat Thursday #46
THANK YOU!! And then there are the tuly homeless. I have never niyad Friday #48
I only didn't mention them because Demobrat Friday #87
Many shelters provide an address orangecrush Saturday #117
Where does it say "fresh food"? It says no "candy and sugary drinks" That would leave tons of options.. EX500rider Friday #51
90 billion dollars the defense department wasted on lobster, crab and steak 🥩 questionseverything Friday #82
90 billion? You sure about that? EX500rider Friday #90
Sure there was some furniture, ice cream machines, musical instruments and questionseverything Friday #92
The figure I saw was 22 million EX500rider Friday #94
I think a snickers or a Reeces has more protein than chips or pastries questionseverything Friday #95
Thank you Cirsium Friday #80
when i was on snap, ShepKat Friday #76
see post 15 niyad Friday #84
You had a home with a working kitchen to make them in. Demobrat Friday #88
Most folks on snap have to supplement it with food pantry items or cash questionseverything Friday #93
This is nothing more than the continaution of Ronald Reagan and the "welfare queen driving Cadillacs" radicalleft Friday #91
Soda isn't food OC375 Saturday #102
Grow up? berniesandersmittens Saturday #108
All about taxing the rich on my end OC375 Saturday #112
A snickers has 4-5 grams of protein ( from the peanuts) questionseverything Yesterday #126
Buy a bag of nuts then OC375 Yesterday #127
Obviously you don't need to use the gas station/ convenience store grocery questionseverything Yesterday #128
Rural OC375 Yesterday #129
Nothing is the way it was 20-30 years ago so spare me the " walked uphill in the snow " stories questionseverything Yesterday #130
No snickers and soda isn't punishment OC375 Yesterday #131
This isn't the hill Democrats should die upon NickB79 Saturday #109
Bye orangecrush Saturday #118
Ciao NickB79 Saturday #120
I could not care less what people spend them on. Demobrat Saturday #119
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Saturday #121
Dispensaries take food stamps? Demobrat Yesterday #132
This is the way. BannonsLiver 5 hrs ago #138

bucolic_frolic

(54,909 posts)
1. Sugar may not be the main problem
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 03:40 PM
Thursday

There are dozens of other additives that amount to some altered form of sweetener ... polysaccharides, gums of many varieties, modified food starch to name a few. They alter gut bacteria. We weren't meant to eat this stuff.

twodogsbarking

(18,530 posts)
2. Just give them the fucking money. They spend more money "discussing" it than it costs.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 03:41 PM
Thursday

Maybe it isn't even about the money.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
11. It is, and always has been, about control, shaming, and, to a great degree, misogyny,
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 05:25 PM
Thursday

since it is assumed that women do most of the grocery shopping. And we KNOW women cannot make intelligent decisions on their own.

jfz9580m

(17,063 posts)
53. That is what emotion Ai is for!
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 03:25 AM
Friday

So someone like this nice Epstein associated lady (who was not raised religious, but swayed by pseudoscientific bilge like Intelligent Design) worked on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Picard

She wanted to “rehabilitate” Epstein. She is a creepy person like all of the MIT Media Lab.

rampartd

(4,544 posts)
101. the money spent investigating and verifying "means tests"
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 08:10 AM
Saturday

seems to exceed what it would cost to just give snap to anyone who applies.

FadedMullet

(878 posts)
3. My sympathies would revolve around a better understanding of "access food", "manage health conditions" and......
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 03:43 PM
Thursday

......"create confusion". Call me a reactionary, but there is nothing wrong with the public buying good food for the poor, instead of "All-American" junk food.

choie

(6,889 posts)
5. Do we get a say in what type of food the military is served?
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:15 PM
Thursday

Why should we do so with SNAP? Or is it because snap benefits “the poors”?

SunSeeker

(58,223 posts)
9. These rules would prevent a family from using SNAP to buy a birthday cake for their kids.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:39 PM
Thursday

I survived on food stamps as a kid, I know it was humiliating enough for my mom to pay with food stamps. To not even be able to buy your kid a birthday cake is just too much.



Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
107. Sure
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 12:07 PM
Saturday

The wealthy and powerful can dictate what we eat, while McDonalds hamburgers are served in the White House.

Jacson6

(1,952 posts)
4. I don't know...
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:13 PM
Thursday

I receive a small stipend of SNAP each month as a retired OM that I use to buy chicken, hamburger and staple to last through the month. IME.

Torchlight

(6,747 posts)
6. I'll pay attention to the counter-arguments when healthy food
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:23 PM
Thursday

is as affordable as many junk foods. Until then, they sound little more like sanctimonious attempts to tell others how to better live their lives than rational, thought-out positions. As long as luxury jets with bedrooms for officials are so common, I'll look at cutting costs there rather than scrutinizing the dining tables of people whose circumstances I don’t know.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
111. Great
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 01:47 PM
Saturday

Now explain how my remarks about agriculture are the reason "we" lose elections, if you could please.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
77. Oh, come on
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 01:50 PM
Friday

That is ridiculous. You are judging food as though it were widgets. Yes, luxury widgets will always be more expensive than junk widgets.

Food is free. I live and work in a fruit district and there are thousands of "feral" fruit trees here producing fruit every year, free for the taking. Go get it. You pay for food in order to support the people tending and harvesting, cleaning and packing, storing and shipping the produce to you. You are paying for convenience as well as for your health and safety.

I have been lucky, eating fresh fruit off the tree every day in the season. We have a policy here - no one goes hungry in this county so long as we are farming. But many people do not have access to fresh healthy food. Most poor people make very intelligent food decisions. We have to. (I say "we" because you don't make much money working on the farm). Poor people make much better dollar to calorie ratio decisions than well-off people do.

As I have often said...

Never before in the existence of humankind has there ever been a population as ignorant about and alienated from the source of their own food as modern Americans.

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
63. Who says they have to buy healthy food?
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:04 AM
Friday

They're free to buy all kinds of macaroni and cheese etc and any kind of other processed crap they want, just not sugary drinks and candy

niyad

(131,927 posts)
70. Maybe you could acquaint yourself with some of the restrictions,
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:43 AM
Friday

and those that have been proposed over the years. Like the ones proposed in WI several yyears ago, forbidding real cheese (in WI), dried beans, rice, etc.

Disdain and sanctimonious judgement are just oozing from your posts on this subject.

See post 15.

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
74. There's certainly some self-righteous sanctimonious posting going on here
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 01:21 PM
Friday

I agree with that.
Our mileage May differ on who's doing it though
All I saw on the blurb is they were not alowing candy and soda.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
86. ohhh myyyyyy. Our mileage does indeed vary. Thank you for confirming
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 03:09 PM
Friday

everything I said.

cstanleytech

(28,434 posts)
8. I'm not against junk food restrictions but I support an increase in the amount provided as eating healthy isn't cheap.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:39 PM
Thursday

I'd say an increase of an minimum of 200 a month per child for produce would probably help a lot.

CTyankee

(68,114 posts)
54. Many poor people lack kitchens in which to whip up those great recipes from scratch with all their helpful vitamins.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 06:27 AM
Friday

Or maybe they hold down two jobs and simply can't be home to cook. Or they may simply be homeless.

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
64. This doesn't stop them from buying TV dinners and macaroni and cheese and other easy quick Foods
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:05 AM
Friday

Just not sugary drinks and candy

CTyankee

(68,114 posts)
66. Why do we get to be their food cop?
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:17 AM
Friday

We don't "trust" them to buy the food WE deem OK to eat?

What can we do to help them eat better foods? Offer them fresh, better foods! Make it easy to get them.

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
67. If the taxpayer is footing the bill the taxpayer has some say
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:29 AM
Friday

I think subsidizing diabetes may be a bad idea, ymmv

CTyankee

(68,114 posts)
72. I agree. How can we get at this problem as a society?
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:05 PM
Friday

Health care professionals are the people who can help here.

cstanleytech

(28,434 posts)
68. Yes which is why produce is a good area to provide more money to spend on as you don't need to cook salads.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:29 AM
Friday

CTyankee

(68,114 posts)
73. A great point. The issue is how we get such foods to those who need, but can't afford to buy, those food items.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:08 PM
Friday

Or maybe they simply don't have ready access to those foods.

BaronChocula

(4,473 posts)
10. "The five plaintiffs--who live in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia..."
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 04:43 PM
Thursday

I'll just put that there.

BaronChocula

(4,473 posts)
13. With the exception of Colorado
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 05:34 PM
Thursday

these are "red states" going back at least three presidential elections. Simpleton magas would probably least expect this much pushback from ordinarily "safe zones."

Bettie

(19,614 posts)
26. Are people in those states less worthy of having food
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 08:05 PM
Thursday

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. Just say it, whatever it is.

70sEraVet

(5,446 posts)
14. The story they want to push with these restrictions,
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 05:44 PM
Thursday

is that poor people are undeserving. New restrictions, but an old tradition.

pcdb

(109 posts)
40. I think it's that taxpayer funded diabetes is a bad idea.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:47 PM
Thursday

This is another issue that Democrats used to support but are now against. I guess we'll just keep driving the cost of healthcare up.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
44. Do you seriously think ANY of this bs debate has to do with genuine concern
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 10:15 PM
Thursday

about people's health?

pcdb

(109 posts)
47. Maybe not to Republicans
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 11:52 PM
Thursday

That doesn't mean Democrats have to want people to get diabetes just to be on the other side.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
49. That isn't an either/or, regardless of how you frame it. Perhaps you
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:16 AM
Friday

coul address some of the other, more immediate, issues being discussed in this thread?

pcdb

(109 posts)
89. What other issues?
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 04:06 PM
Friday

I don't take RFK seriously, but that doesn't mean I think SNAP should be providing diabetes to poor people. I feel like we have the need to be against everything Trump is for even if we agree with him. Up until recently, it was the libertarian position that government should have no say in how SNAP is spent, now it's us.

I've seen threads where some Democrats sound like free market capitalists opposing tariffs and other protectionist policies... things Democrats used to support. We don't have to turn against are own policy positions just because Trump agrees with us.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
15. Before I start screaming about the self-righteous sanctimony and
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 05:48 PM
Thursday

virtue signalling that seems to surround every discussion about "healthy eating" and "junk food restrictions", wherever they occur, I would like people to keep in mind one little fact. Many people live in the "food deserts", meaning there are no grocery stores within ten miles. The ONLY access to any kind of food in those areas is convenience stores, with their limited choices. And before I hear anything about "just get on a bus", as one pontificator snarled at me several years ago in a meeting, many of those same areas do not have decent public transit, either. And, even if there is, hauling bags of groceries on and off buses, particularly if one has to transfer, or has mobility isssues, is not a picnic.

When one defends all these restrictions, whatever one's stated reason, one must ask oneself why it is okay to tell these people what they may, or may not, purchase with OUR money. Does one tell the military how to spend the trillions they get? Does one restrict the oil companies? Big AG? Big Pharma? And then think about what those answers say about oneself.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
37. But at what point is the line drawn?
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:41 PM
Thursday

Should beer be allowed? How about household items? Or would those be the cutoff in your opinion? For the record, I am all for allowing sweets to be purchased with SNAP.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
41. Supplemental Nutrition. .last I checked, household items do not
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:52 PM
Thursday

qualify as "nutrition". Allowing any kind of alcohol is, in all likelihood, never going to happen.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
103. Ok, so we're in agreement
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 10:51 AM
Saturday

The other poster thinks it all should be covered. Post 79.

Celerity

(54,254 posts)
55. Starting April 1, Texas also will ban SNAP purchases of many drinks that use artificial sweeteners.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 06:47 AM
Friday
Starting April 1, 2026, Texas will implement new restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, banning the purchase of candy, gum, and sweetened drinks containing 5g or more of added sugar or artificial sweeteners. These changes are part of a broader, state-driven effort to limit junk food in food-aid programs.

https://www.hhs.texas.gov/news/2026/03/new-snap-purchase-restrictions-take-effect-april-1

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
104. You think household supplies and alcohol should be covered by SNAP?
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 10:54 AM
Saturday

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It was created for things that can be ingested, with the exception of liquor and vitamins. Allowing household supplies won't happen, unless you enjoy Tide Pods with your coffee.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
105. Nonsense
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 11:58 AM
Saturday

It is truly abhorrent that shaming and misogyny masquerade as concern for people with limited means.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
113. It's an interesting position that I never heard anyone take
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 08:44 PM
Saturday

I am all for SNAP covering sweets/soda, but liquor and household supplies? Come on. We have cash assistance for that.

Response to Cirsium (Reply #114)

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
123. That's what cash assistance is for
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 10:23 AM
Yesterday

SNAP is for consumption that isn't alcohol or vitamins.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
125. That isn't what being a Democrat is for
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:54 PM
Yesterday

Being a Democrat is not for scolding and lecturing those who are less fortunate. It is not for punching down.

For out of this modern civilization economic royalists carved new dynasties. New kingdoms were built upon concentration of control over material things. Through new uses of corporations, banks and securities, new machinery of industry and agriculture, of labor and capital – all undreamed of by the fathers – the whole structure of modern life was impressed into this royal service.

There was no place among this royalty for our many thousands of small business men and merchants who sought to make a worthy use of the American system of initiative and profit. They were no more free than the worker or the farmer. Even honest and progressive-minded men of wealth, aware of their obligation to their generation, could never know just where they fitted into this dynastic scheme of things.

It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over Government itself. They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction. In its service new mercenaries sought to regiment the people, their labor, and their property. And as a result the average man once more confronts the problem that faced the Minute Man.

The hours men and women worked, the wages they received, the conditions of their labor – these had passed beyond the control of the people, and were imposed by this new industrial dictatorship. The savings of the average family, the capital of the small business man, the investments set aside for old age – other people’s money – these were tools which the new economic royalty used to dig itself in.

Those who tilled the soil no longer reaped the rewards which were their right. The small measure of their gains was decreed by men in distant cities.

Throughout the Nation, opportunity was limited by monopoly. Individual initiative was crushed in the cogs of a great machine. The field open for free business was more and more restricted. Private enterprise, indeed, became too private. It became privileged enterprise, not free enterprise.

An old English judge1 once said: “Necessitous men are not free men.” Liberty requires opportunity to make a living – a living decent according to the standard of the time, a living which gives man not only enough to live by, but something to live for.

For too many of us the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people’s property, other people’s money, other people’s labor – other people’s lives. For too many of us life was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.

FDR
Acceptance Speech for the Renomination for the Presidency, Philadelphia, Pa., June 27, 1936

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
133. No one is scolding anyone
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 12:23 PM
8 hrs ago

You can buy liquor, clothes, detergent or cigarettes with cash assistance. SNAP is for Supplemental Nutrition.

PeaceWave agreed with me. He deleted his post after I told him that's what cash assistance is for. You're alone with thinking SNAP should cover it all.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
137. I may be alone
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 03:04 PM
5 hrs ago

I doubt it, though. Say I am. So what?

What is the difference between these two scenarios:

1) A young single mother uses SNAP benefits to buy her child a $10 birthday present, and then spends $10 cash here at our fruit stand.

2) The same young single mother uses SNAP benefits to buy $10 worth of fruit here at our fruit stand, and then spends $10 cash to buy her child a birthday present.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
139. Because it was created for food and beverages
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 08:14 PM
33 min ago

I'm all for the young single mother getting cash assistance from the government, in addition to SNAP benefits.

Unless you want to combine the two, while bringing up the payments? That conceivably could work.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
140. I don't agree
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 08:23 PM
25 min ago

It was created - as so many programs are - as a shabby compromise. The shame, barriers, conditions and control elements that the Republicans love - especially when used against women and minority populations - get added to any benefits.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
122. No, it's a normal approach
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 10:22 AM
Yesterday

What part of Supplemental Nutrition don't you understand? Even Bernie wouldn't agree with that position.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
124. Normal approach?
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:48 PM
Yesterday

What part of right wing talking points don't you understand? We've seen where the
"normal approach" in politics has gotten us. If what you say about Sanders is true, then he is wrong.

What I do understand about Supplemental Nutrition is that it is a response to the fact that millions of people in the country struggle to have access to adequate nutrition. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. The notion that we need to force the most vulnerable among us to get adequate nutrition obvious says that their lack of access to adequate nutrition is their fault. That position is ignorant and it is cruel.

Of course on the farm we would rather that people come here rather tha to the junk food aisle - or any aisle - in the supermarket. And overwhelmingly, they already do. I rarely see SNAP recipients in the local store, but I see them in the farm market all the time. Why is that? Because people who are poor make much better decisions than those with significant discretionary income do. We have no choice. The premise used to justify restriction on the use of the (absurdly picayune) SNAP benefits, as often expressed by Republican politicians, is that people who are in poverty are not very smart and don't make good decisions.

Googling just now I find dozens (hundreds?) of right wing sites - "why do poor people make bad decisions?" Oh, is that what's wrong with the country? Poor people making bad decisions? What, unlike the wealthy?

From the NIH:

"Dietary food choice based on price per calorie best matches actual consumption patterns and may therefore be the most salient price metric for low-income populations."

People with limited means are maximizing their dollar to calorie ratio, something better off people do not need to do. Does that result in crappier food often? Yes, of course. But that is not because people are making bad choices, it is result of business decisions over which the consumers have little or no control.

"Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of America. I'll show you something to make you change your mind." Amazing that I need to argue for compassion here.

I keep glancing up to the top of the page. This IS Democratic Underground, isn't it?

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
134. Every governor is against your position
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 12:26 PM
8 hrs ago

Last edited Mon Mar 16, 2026, 08:11 PM - Edit history (1)

Stop making it about talking points. Read what SNAP stands for. You're not buying detergent with it anywhere.

IzzaNuDay

(1,280 posts)
56. Totally agree with you
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 06:57 AM
Friday

Once I was on a business trip to an urban area, and I wanted to find some healthy snacks during my trip. I was fortunate to have a rental car. But even then, it was a challenge to find a grocery store in this area.

I found a small grocery store, but the produce quality was awful. And the first thing I thought was how do the residents ever find the same foods I look for? Yeah, we definitely have food deserts. And I am afraid it’s by design.

cstanleytech

(28,434 posts)
69. That's an entirely different issue though but it's one that does need to be addressed urgently IMO.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 11:36 AM
Friday

niyad

(131,927 posts)
83. You are most welcome. One would not think such a post was needed
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 02:51 PM
Friday

amoung progressives, but. . .

Alice B.

(729 posts)
135. Also point out the percentage of SNAP recipients employed at least part-time
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 12:34 PM
8 hrs ago

Or who have been employed at any point. Technically they’re taxpayers, too.

Until I get to have a say in any and all of the stuff my tax dollars are going toward, I have no f’s to give about what SNAP recipients buy.

It’s always a nanny state until it isn’t.

electric_blue68

(26,784 posts)
25. If I remember correctly in NYS/C...
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 07:41 PM
Thursday

when I had food stamps we couldn't buy soda, or candy. Not that I bought a lot anyway. Probably not chips, etc, either. Again, only bought a small to modest amount.

NH Ethylene

(31,329 posts)
27. I remember exactly that decades ago when I got food stamps.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 08:19 PM
Thursday

I don't recall it being a problem for me. I certainly wasn't going to feed my two toddlers any junk food anyway.

Polybius

(21,839 posts)
36. I can't speak for NYS, but soda and candy was allowed in NYC when I was on it
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:39 PM
Thursday

Early 2020's.

electric_blue68

(26,784 posts)
45. I'm an NYC'r but don't have SNAP anymore...
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 10:18 PM
Thursday

but that's good. Nothing wrong with a bit of that

chouchou

(3,107 posts)
30. I think I wrote this the other day.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 08:29 PM
Thursday

Wouldn't a percentage be more fair Like 15 percent or 20 percent for "fun"

It's amazing how many Americans stand up and rant about the poor get free food..."They should sweep the streets"
But..They don't mind when the politicians, Military, con people and corporations steal tons of money
from the taxpayers.. Grrrrr.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
34. Why should there be ANY "percentage for fun" designation? By WHOSE
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:07 PM
Thursday

definition of "fun"???

I absolutely agree with the rest of your post.

chouchou

(3,107 posts)
50. I understand your point. I was thinking that the "Other sons-a-####"" would stop trashing the poor..
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:30 AM
Friday

....if there was a little bit of regular structure. My personal beliefs are; Give them the damn food/clothes cards..
and shut down the nasty overview. Yes, I'm trying to walk on both rails.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
52. I can welll understand your desire to try that. However, as old and jaded
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 03:08 AM
Friday

and annoyed and exhausted and ENRAGED as I am from many decades of dealing with those hate-filled assholes, I can tell you that NOTHING will stop them from trashing the poor, the immigrants, the disabled. .actually. . . anybody who isn't like them.

chouchou

(3,107 posts)
58. Unfortunately, your words are true. I keep hoping that mostly people are kind, fair and just.
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 10:43 AM
Friday

...and I'm going to win a Rolls Royce today..

MichMan

(17,086 posts)
31. You haven't been able to buy beer or wine for decades
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 08:32 PM
Thursday

This is just an additional restriction it would appear.

GenThePerservering

(3,280 posts)
75. OMG, enough with the post #15
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 01:26 PM
Friday

I used to live on food stamps in a food desert. I DID NOT WASTE IT ON SODA OR CANDY. It was tough enough to keep fed without that shit burning through what little I had.

Cirsium

(3,874 posts)
81. Good for you
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 01:57 PM
Friday

Enough with the "I came through OK so I have no sympathy for those who didn't" bs. How's that?

niyad

(131,927 posts)
33. Let us add one little thing to this discussion. Apprroximately FIFTY PERCENT
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 09:05 PM
Thursday

of ALL the food in this country goes to waste. FIFTY PERCENT. We could feed everyone. And yet the ones at the top playing their ugly games make sure that the ones at the bottom are debating, fighting over, piously virtue signalling over, scraps. How it must amuse them.

Demobrat

(10,292 posts)
46. Not everyone has cooking facilities or equipment.
Thu Mar 12, 2026, 10:23 PM
Thursday

Last edited Fri Mar 13, 2026, 03:43 PM - Edit history (1)

It’s all well and good to say the money should go for fresh food, but where is the single mom living with her two kids in a motel room supposed to cook it? How about the one living in a trailer without a working stove? And if there is a stove, what about the pots and pans? Does everyone pack them up when they run from an abusive relationship?
It’s so privileged to assume everyone has a burner and a pot to boil water for rice in. It’s just not the case.

niyad

(131,927 posts)
48. THANK YOU!! And then there are the tuly homeless. I have never
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:12 AM
Friday

understood the prohibition against hot or prepared foods in SNAP. WTAF??? Who could possibly need them more???

Demobrat

(10,292 posts)
87. I only didn't mention them because
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 03:45 PM
Friday

I understand it’s impossible to get food stamps without an address. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so.

orangecrush

(30,060 posts)
117. Many shelters provide an address
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 10:22 PM
Saturday

That clients can use for such purposes and to receive mail.

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
51. Where does it say "fresh food"? It says no "candy and sugary drinks" That would leave tons of options..
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 12:31 AM
Friday

...that don't involve cooking

questionseverything

(11,768 posts)
82. 90 billion dollars the defense department wasted on lobster, crab and steak 🥩
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 02:05 PM
Friday

In one month but for sure no snickers for welfare kids

Got it!

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
90. 90 billion? You sure about that?
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 04:10 PM
Friday

And nothing stops the parent from buying a candy bar, just not with SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, not "supplemental candy program"

questionseverything

(11,768 posts)
92. Sure there was some furniture, ice cream machines, musical instruments and
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 05:19 PM
Friday

Similar not warsy bs but paid for by dod last September

But yes 90 plus billion for the finer things of life and no snickers for hungry kids, got it

Misplaced priorities

EX500rider

(12,516 posts)
94. The figure I saw was 22 million
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 06:10 PM
Friday

And if the kids are hungry their parents ought to be buying them real food not candy bars.

ShepKat

(527 posts)
76. when i was on snap,
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 01:46 PM
Friday

there wasn't enough to buy crap bs fake food. Never bought soda, ever.
my kids ate ok and any dessert type food and potato chips were homemade

radicalleft

(575 posts)
91. This is nothing more than the continaution of Ronald Reagan and the "welfare queen driving Cadillacs"
Fri Mar 13, 2026, 04:48 PM
Friday

bullshit he peddled in the 80's.

Or nothing more than the Florida attempt to drug test "welfare" recipients.

It's red-meat for the base...

OC375

(825 posts)
102. Soda isn't food
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 08:46 AM
Saturday

Candy isn’t either. . Use some common sense. What a dumb foxhole to defend. Grow up. I don’t recall eating a store bought cake outside a wedding until my 20’s at work. 1st world problem.

berniesandersmittens

(13,168 posts)
108. Grow up?
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 12:49 PM
Saturday

I have a problem with taking away from the poor. The very same people who gripe about sugary food get passed when someone buys seafood or lean steak with their SNAP.

Butmying a birthday cake for your child is not an extraordinary thing to ask for. Neither are cookies when you have to send some yo school for field day/valentines day.

What was so wrong with how it's been in the past? I'm more upset about tax write offs for yachts than I am about a dawned cake.

OC375

(825 posts)
112. All about taxing the rich on my end
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 02:23 PM
Saturday

Just am not down spending the savings on candy. I think there’s space to do both. YMMV

questionseverything

(11,768 posts)
126. A snickers has 4-5 grams of protein ( from the peanuts)
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 01:20 PM
Yesterday

A individual bag of lays potato chips has 2-3 grams of protein ( from the animal fat the potatoes were cooked in)

So besides belittling people just for being poor and needing food, you are suggesting the least healthy option for them. We should be expanding food stamps since they create additional GDP ( good for growing the economy) not shame the current users!

questionseverything

(11,768 posts)
128. Obviously you don't need to use the gas station/ convenience store grocery
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 01:55 PM
Yesterday

The snickers bar costs from $1.- $2. And if there’s a tiny bag of nuts ( big if) it would cost $2.-$3. Soooooo

Since a person only gets $1.90 per meal half the money for the next meal is gone

OC375

(825 posts)
129. Rural
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 02:15 PM
Yesterday

Nothing for miles when I was growing up poor in a crappy quadplex with no parents around, for miles. Convenience store heaven, every 20 miles. Peanuts are protein. You argued nutrition… Buy a large bag one day, and spread it over 7. Peanut butter is cheap and has sugar too. Twofer. Ramen for carbs. Skip chips. This isn’t rocket science. More money for sure, but less crap.

questionseverything

(11,768 posts)
130. Nothing is the way it was 20-30 years ago so spare me the " walked uphill in the snow " stories
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 02:34 PM
Yesterday

Your solution was “a big bag to split up” , do you think this mythical big bag is at the convenient store? Because it’s not. And if it was it would be 3 times what it costs at Walmart.

You don’t address chips being much worse for people , but I suppose the food police will attack that next.

I think most people make the best choices they can with in the scope of their choices.
I don’t feel the need to punish people who didn’t have many choices to start with. People who feel the need to control others less fortunate than themselves before they will help them creep me out.

OC375

(825 posts)
131. No snickers and soda isn't punishment
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 05:00 PM
Yesterday

It’s reasonable being that the program is about supplemental nutrition. Everything has limits, even necessary government nutrition programs, and leaning on the old “people who feel the need to control” canard is just lazy. We’ll just have to disagree on this one.

NickB79

(20,316 posts)
109. This isn't the hill Democrats should die upon
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 12:52 PM
Saturday

I'd speculate that even a majority of Democrats support restrictions on junk food purchased with SNAP funds.

Demobrat

(10,292 posts)
119. I could not care less what people spend them on.
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 10:27 PM
Saturday

They get a fixed amount that goes to the store no matter what they buy.

I’m not the food police.

Response to Demobrat (Reply #119)

BannonsLiver

(20,517 posts)
138. This is the way.
Mon Mar 16, 2026, 03:35 PM
5 hrs ago

Anything other than that and people are treading into asshole territory.

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