Reuters US Domestic
WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that she has granted waivers to six additional states allowing them to prevent the use of food stamps to purchase certain items, like soft drinks and candy.
The administration of President Donald Trump has now allowed 18 states to implement a variety of restrictions on low-income recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps.
Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have urged states to adopt the restrictions as part of the administration's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.
The restrictions, which go into effect next year, vary by state and include barring soda, candy and energy drink purchases. The new state waivers are for Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, Rollins said at an event at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters.
States that apply for such waivers gain an advantage in their applications for a $50 billion rural health fund established this year by the Trump administration, Mehmet Oz, the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at the event.
Rollins and Kennedy have worked closely together to advance the MAHA agenda, including a revision of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which gives advice on what Americans should eat.
The guidelines, expected in January, will "suggest limiting highly processed foods and those high in sugar," Rollins said on Wednesday.
Rollins also said the USDA would spend $700 million on regenerative agriculture to encourage farmers to adopt conservation farming practices that support soil health.
The administration earlier this year canceled a $3 billion program for sustainable farming practices, like reducing soil tillage.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Writing by Richard Valdmanis and Leah Douglas; Editing by Chris Reese)
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