U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. (Courtesy USDA)

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on June 10 signed waivers that amend statutory definitions of food that can be purchased with federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in Idaho, Utah and Arkansas.

Earlier, Rollins signed waivers for Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska.

SNAP benefits are federal. States are responsible for general administration, ensuring program integrity, determining the eligibility of individuals and households to receive benefits and issuing monthly allotments, according to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.

The benefits traditionally could be spent on grocery items except alcohol, tobacco, hot and prepared foods and personal care products. Now, states can approve SNAP waivers that restrict the purchase of non-nutritious items such as soda and candy, according to the Food and Nutrition Service.

Idaho House Bill 109, which the legislature passed and Gov. Brad Little signed, bans candy and soda from the federal food assistance program. Doing so aims to “prioritize health and nutrition while also reducing taxpayers’ out-of-control Medicaid costs,” according to the bill’s purpose statement.

Little, after signing the bill in mid-April, said in a release that he recognizes the complexities of defining candy and soda, “but at the same time this issue is not complex at all. It is actually quite simple; assistance from the government should go toward healthy foods, not foods that cause so many health problems.”

“The Trump administration is unified in improving the health of our nation,” and governors have “proudly answered the call to innovate by improving nutrition programs, ensuring better choices while respecting the generosity of the American taxpayer,” Rollins said in a USDA news release. Each waiver submitted by states and signed “is yet another step closer to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to make America healthy again.”

The Make America Healthy Again movement is embraced by the administration, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I call on every governor in the nation to submit a SNAP waiver to eliminate sugary drinks,” Kennedy said in the release. “Taxpayer dollars should never bankroll products that fuel the chronic disease epidemic.”

“Idaho proudly welcomes the MAHA movement because it is all about looking for new ways to improve nutrition, increase exercise and take better care of ourselves and one another, especially our children,” Little said in the USDA release. “We are excited to partner with the Trump administration in bringing common sense to the government’s food assistance program with the approval of our SNAP waiver.”