Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, August 8, 2025 — The decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve six more waivers restricting what people can purchase with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is a misguided move that undermines the program’s core mission of reducing hunger and supporting health and food dignity for the 42 million people who rely on the program every day.
Hunger is a public health crisis, and SNAP is one of the most effective tools we have to address it — reducing food insecurity, improving health outcomes, and lowering long-term health care costs. Yet, instead of strengthening this lifeline, the USDA’s move burdens families and states with restrictions that do nothing to improve health.
Research consistently shows that SNAP recipients make sound food choices. Their diets are no worse than those of other Americans with low incomes. The real barrier to healthy eating is not personal preference, it is affordability. With average benefits of just $6 per person per day, families cannot consistently afford the fresh, nutritious food they need. When forced to make ends meet, many turn to calorie-dense, lower-cost foods, not out of choice, but necessity.
These new restrictions come at a time when state agencies are already overwhelmed.
The recently passed budget reconciliation bill has shifted additional SNAP costs onto states, forcing agencies to scramble to implement complex and harmful provisions. Instead of helping families, the USDA’s waivers would divert staff time and resources away from critical tasks like reducing error rates and ensuring access. States cannot afford the red tape, costly system upgrades, and staff training that these restrictions require.
If we want healthier communities, the Trump administration needs to stop being the food police and start investing in real solutions. That means increasing SNAP benefits, expanding access to affordable food, and scaling up evidence-based programs like fruit and vegetable incentives. We must also address the root causes of hunger: the rising cost of food and housing, lack of affordable health care, low wages, and limited access to grocery stores.
Restrictions are not a path to better health — they are a distraction from it. We urge states to reject this approach and focus instead on proven, people-centered strategies that lift families out of poverty and hunger.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.
