FRAC Chat

In the early 1980s, the U.S. experienced a public reemergence of hunger — not because the country lacked food, but because federal policy choices tightened the “last-resort” systems that had helped Americans with low incomes weather recessions. The Reagan administration took office amid rising economic strain and subsequently pursued a broad package of tax breaks for the wealthy, along with cuts, reductions, and eligibility restrictions across low-income economic mobility programs, including the Food Stamp Program (now the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP). Those changes landed while unemployment and poverty were climbing, creating a predictable mismatch: need increased, but assistance became harder to access and less adequate.

Colorado has received federal approval to implement a statewide restriction prohibiting the purchase of certain “soft drinks” using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Summer EBT benefits starting April 30, 2026. Amid a surge of Republican governors imposing SNAP restrictions, Colorado’s governor stands out as unlike other Democratic governors who have explicitly rejected SNAP choice restrictions as a violation of the dignity and economic freedom that should be enjoyed by all grocery shoppers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a proposed rule on September 25, 2025, to update staple food-stocking standards for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While improving access to nutritious food is an important goal, the proposed rule raises serious concerns about weakening food access for SNAP participants.