Arkansas and Indiana ask USDA to let them ban soda and candy from SNAP

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican governors in Arkansas and Indiana moved Tuesday to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries, becoming the first states to ask the Trump administration to let them remove such items from the program long known as food stamps.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said her state's request is aimed at improving the health of nearly 350,000 residents who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Taxpayers are subsidizing poor health,” Sanders said at a Little Rock news conference with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We’re paying for it on the front end and the back end.”

In Indianapolis, Gov. Mike Braun was joined by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to announce sweeping changes to “put the focus back on nutrition — not candy and soft drinks.”

The two states are among several taking steps to strip the purchase of certain foods that may contribute to poor health through the federal program that spent $100 billion to serve nearly 42 million Americans in 2024. The restriction has been a key goal for Rollins and Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

“They changed our food system in this country so that it is poison to us,” Kennedy said Tuesday. “We can’t be a strong nation if we are not a strong people.”

The Arkansas plan, which would take effect in July 2026, would exclude soda, including no- and low-calorie soda; fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50% natural juice; “unhealthy drinks;” candy, including confections made with flour, like Kit Kat bars; and artificially sweetened candy. It also would allow participants to use benefits to buy hot rotisserie chicken, which is excluded from the program now.

The Indiana change would exclude candy and soft drinks from the list of foods eligible to be paid for with SNAP benefits. Braun also issued executive orders changing work requirements for SNAP participants; reinstating income and asset verification rules; and launching a review of “improper payments and other administrative errors” to ensure that SNAP meets federal goals.

Antihunger groups oppose SNAP food restrictions, saying that research shows that program participants are no more likely than other low-income Americans to buy sugary drinks or snack foods. And they say that limiting food choices undermines the autonomy and dignity of people who receive a benefit of about $187 per month — or about $6.20 per day.

“They just seem to be targeting a specific population without having data that says that they are the issue or that this is going to improve,” said Gina Plata-Nino, a deputy director at the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Trade groups representing beverage and candy makers criticized the effort, saying that they narrowly target SNAP participants.

Representatives for American Beverage accused state and federal officials of “choosing to be the food police rather than take truly meaningful steps to lift people off SNAP with good-paying jobs.”

Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the National Confectioners Association, called the approach “misguided.”

"SNAP participants and non-SNAP participants alike understand that chocolate and candy are treats – not meal replacements," Gindlesperger said.

The SNAP program is run by the USDA and administered through individual states. It is authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says that SNAP benefits can be used for “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods. In general, benefits are available to households with gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $33,500 a year for three people.

Excluding any foods would require Congress to change the law — or for states to get waivers that would let them restrict purchases, said Katie Bergh, a senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research group.

Over the past two decades, lawmakers in several states and from both political parties have proposed halting SNAP payments for soda, chips, ice cream and “luxury meats” like steak, as well as bottled water and decorated birthday cakes. Since 2004, there have been six previous requests for waivers, including four that were not approved, one that was withdrawn and one request that was incomplete.

In rejecting the waivers, the USDA said there was no clear standard to define certain foods as unhealthy and that restrictions would be difficult to implement, complicated, costly and might not change participants' food purchases or improve health.

Aleccia reported from California. Associated Press writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

United States Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, left, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speak outside the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Arkansas on Tuesday requested to ban Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, from being used to purchase junk food or soda. (AP Photo/Andrew DeMillo)

Protesters hold up signs outside of the Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., is escorted out of the Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr speaks during a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks during a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., left, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz listen during a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Supporters gather for a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks during a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr speaks as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz listens during a Make Indiana Healthy Again initiative event in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - Soft drinks fill a drink cooler in a convenience store in Kent, Wash., Oct. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

CINCINNATI (AP) — After opening the season as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns facing the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Flacco will close the season as the backup for the Bengals as they face the Browns on Sunday.

Flacco was dealt to the Bengals in October and made six starts for the Bengals while Joe Burrow was out with a toe injury.

“I don’t really think about putting a label on it,” Flacco said. “It’s crazy. Seasons always go by quick once they’ve started. But the way that this one went, it seems like it flew by.”

During the summer, in Cleveland Browns training camp, Flacco won a competition for the starting quarterback job and made four starts for Cleveland. In Week 1 against the Bengals, Flacco threw for 290 yards.

He said that over the past 17 weeks, he has seen improvement from the Bengals defense. Now, he refers to the Bengals defense as his team’s defense.

“We’re stopping the run,” Flacco said. “We’re getting more pressure on the quarterback. When you combine those two things, it’s going to help you out.”

While Flacco went 1-5 as a starter in Cincinnati, the 40-year-old played well. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.

Flacco said that he developed a lot of respect for Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

“He has a lot of strengths,” Flacco said. “He’s really good at what he does. His demeanor, his overall personality and the way he leads men is really good. The way he puts game plans together. Also, he’s willing to allow it to be collaborative. That’s a strength. His game day play-calling is also something he does really well.”

Burrow took over as the starter when he returned on Thanksgiving, and Flacco has been the backup over the past month.

Flacco will be a free agent again at the end of the season. As he evaluates his options, he’s hoping to find another chance to play and to start.

“That’s always a priority,” Flacco said. “I’m somebody who wants to play football. You’ve got to assess and see whatever is thrown your way. You have to go from there and see what you can do about it.”

He said that he’d be open to returning to the Bengals, but he’ll weigh several factors.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Flacco said. “I don’t hope to do anything. I have an idea of maybe of what some goals would be. I’ll go from there and see what happens.”

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco throws during pregame warmups before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) calls a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)