Overview
- The exchange occurred on Thursday, June 25, when Republican Rep. Brandon Gill pressed FRAC policy director Gina Plata-Nino and she replied that “some of them do” need sugary soda to survive.
- Lawmakers used the hearing to question whether SNAP, a roughly $100 billion program serving more than 40 million people, should allow benefits to buy non-nutritious items after USDA data showed more individual SNAP dollars are spent on soft drinks than any other commodity.
- Subcommittee chair Tim Burchett cited an estimated $10 billion in SNAP losses for 2024 and said some states have refused to provide data needed to investigate fraud and benefit theft.
- Rep. Gill presented material showing FRAC receives funding from food companies including General Mills and asked whether that funding created a conflict of interest for the group’s policy positions, a question Plata-Nino did not answer on the record.
- Policy options now in play include USDA-approved waivers that let states restrict purchases and pending legal challenges, and any change could alter what items low-income households can buy with benefits and spur further congressional oversight.