Nebraska First In Nation To Exclude Pop, Energy Drinks From SNAP Benefits

Governor Jim Pillen hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in Nebraska today as she signed the first-in-the-nation waiver to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase for Nebraska’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Effective January 1, 2026, SNAP benefits may no longer be used for the purchase of soda or energy drinks in the State of Nebraska.Prior to this waiver, SNAP recipients could buy anything except alcohol, tobacco, hot foods, and personal care products.“There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks. SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing with today’s waiver. I’m grateful to have worked with Secretary Rollins and the Trump Administration to get this effort across the finish line. It is a tremendous step toward improving the health and well-being of our state. We have to act because we can’t keep letting Nebraskans starve in the midst of plenty,” said Governor Jim Pillen. “Today’s waiver to remove soda and energy drinks from SNAP is the first of its kind, and it is a historic step to Make America Healthy Again. Under President Trump’s leadership, I have encouraged states to serve as the ‘laboratories of innovation.’”During a press conference at Wholestone Farms in Fremont, Secretary Rollins said, “Today’s waiver to remove soda and energy drinks from SNAP is the first of its kind, and it is a historic step to Make America Healthy Again. Under President Trump’s leadership, I have encouraged states to serve as the ‘laboratories of innovation.’ Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, and Colorado are pioneers in improving the health of our nation.”

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