Media Contact:
Jordan Baker
jbaker@frac.org
202-640-1118
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2025 — The decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve six additional state waivers that restrict what people can purchase with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is a serious misstep that will have serious consequences. These waivers are harmful to millions of households struggling against hunger, detrimental to state agencies, burdensome for retailers, and damaging to local economies.
SNAP is designed to help people put food on the table with dignity. Instead of restricting specific foods, the administration and Congress should expand access to nutrition and improve benefits, which average just over $6 per person per day. Providing nutrition education and supporting policies that encourage the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy options are far more effective in improving health than limiting choice. Yet, the budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1) eliminates all funding for SNAP-Ed, which provides essential nutrition education to families with low incomes.
SNAP restrictions will create more harm, confusion, and chaos for program participants who are still reeling from the government shutdown that unnecessarily delayed the delivery of benefits.
States are also still recovering from the chaos created by the delayed SNAP benefits. USDA’s waivers divert staff time and resources away from critical tasks like reducing error rates and ensuring access. States are already implementing the harmful and administratively burdensome provisions of H.R. 1 and cannot afford the red tape, costly system upgrades, and staff training that these waivers require.
These waivers also place undue stress on retailers, putting them at risk of losing their status as SNAP-authorized stores. The 267,000 SNAP retailers across the country are essential access points for families; without them, recipients would have no way to redeem their benefits, and the program would not function.
Instead of advancing SNAP food restriction waivers that weaken the program, USDA should focus on strengthening SNAP to ensure everyone has access to the nutrition they need to thrive.
###
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.