U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that six additional states – Hawaii, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee – received waivers allowing them to restrict what can be purchased with food stamps.

These states join 12 others already granted permission to implement restrictions on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases.

The big picture: The restrictions commonly include banning the use of food stamps for items such as soft drinks, candy, and energy drinks. • The administration’s push for these changes is part of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, spearheaded by Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. • Rollins and Kennedy have encouraged states to adopt such restrictions and work together on revising

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