The Blubber

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing resistance in his push to prevent food stamp recipients from using benefits to buy soda.

The key issue: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) isn’t under Kennedy’s jurisdiction. It’s managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Although both Kennedy and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins have voiced concern over federal assistance being used to purchase products that contribute to obesity, USDA officials are reportedly frustrated with what they see as Kennedy overstepping his role. Sources told Politico that his actions are causing a behind-the-scenes rift within the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative.

Kennedy’s team has reportedly been encouraging state leaders to request federal permission to restrict soda purchases for SNAP beneficiaries — a program that provides food assistance to 42 million low-income Americans.

“Rollins and Kennedy, they’ve both talked about this issue,” a USDA staffer told Politico. “However, [HHS] is flying solo. It just doesn’t help to find a joint pathway forward.”

Rollins is said to have backed the idea of banning sugary drinks during a private White House meeting earlier this month with MAGA-aligned influencers, which Kennedy also attended.

“The top item that food stamps support through taxpayer dollars: Sugary drinks, to a group of children that come from a lower socioeconomic ladder that are in many ways from very impoverished families,” Rollins said, according to Politico. “And yet, that’s the number one thing our food stamp program is buying.”

In an interview with Fox News, Kennedy echoed that concern, claiming soda is “poisoning” low-income communities.

“We shouldn’t be subsidizing them,” he said. “They’re the ones with the worst chronic disease burden, and we are literally poisoning those neighborhoods.”

Despite the reported tension, both agencies denied any internal conflict.

“Where improvements can be made to encourage healthier decisions and healthier outcomes, the Department stands ready to support those improvements. This notion that USDA is obstructing is nothing more than inside-the-beltway nonsense,” USDA spokesperson Audra Weeks said in a statement.