One Florida man’s complaint against Republicans forbidding snacks and soda purchases in the food welfare program sparked a massive debate online.
Critics of the Trump administration have angrily denounced the ban on unhealthy foods purchased with taxpayer funds through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
‘There are thousands of people who don’t use benefits who have to say no to soda/candy bc they can’t afford it.’
One Florida man became the center of the debate on the X social media platform after complaining about the ban on Monday.
“As of today, Florida SNAP recipients can’t buy soda or candy because God forbid we allow a single mom and her kids a few moments of happiness at the end of the day,” wrote the man, who identified as a NeverTrumper.
The suggestion was immediately buried by a landslide of responses from those defending the ban on taxpayer-funded candy and soda.
“There is no nutritional value in candy or soda. What Texas and Florida are doing fits the purpose of the program, which is making sure families have access to nutritious food. It buys meat, milk, bread, eggs, etc,” economic expert Amy Nixon replied.
“Where does it end? How much should taxpayers be on the hook for? It’s not Monopoly money. We give people who (mostly) made decisions resulting in the [U.S.] paying their way. There are thousands of people who don’t use benefits who have to say no to soda/candy bc they can’t afford it,” responded Blaze Media social media editor Jessica O’Donnell.
“SNAP recipients can still buy soda and candy if they want. They just have to use their own money, like everyone else. SNAP is government assistance for supplemental NUTRITION; soda & candy is not nutrition,” GOP communications specialist Christina Pushaw replied.
“Soda and candy are luxuries. If you are reliant on taxpayer funding to feed your family, then you cannot afford luxuries. Many average citizens who DO NOT rely on taxpayer funding have to cut out luxury items,” another popular response reads.
“Taxpayer funded SNAP was not designed to bring single moms and kids moments of happiness,” another critic replied. “It’s [sic] intent is to provide low income households with basic nutritional sustenance. If junkfood makes you happy, you’re welcome to buy it with your earned money like the rest of us.”
A group of SNAP recipients has filed a lawsuit to stop the ban on junk foods, sugary sodas, and energy drinks after arguing that it’s discriminatory against diabetics and people with “avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.”
RELATED: Able-bodied 38-year-old man goes viral for response to Trump food stamp restrictions: ‘That’s some bulls**t!’
The original poster followed up with a response to the furor he caused.
“I’m obviously not spending my day replying to all of these but if you are bothered by people getting a soda and some candy but not the billions and billions of dollars that we waste every day at the Pentagon, you should do some soul-searching,” he wrote.
“We could fund an entire week of nationwide snap benefits for every day of our engagement with Iran,” he added.
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