The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has been scrutinized recently, with many questioning the nutritional value of food purchased with the program. Critics have highlighted SNAP being used to buy sugary junk food and unhealthy items that can contribute to health problems later in life. To overcome these challenges, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) proposed legislation on Tuesday, the Nutritious SNAP Act, aimed at reforming SNAP to ensure that those who use it are doing so for healthy food options. 

Paul’s office issued a release on Tuesday asserting that SNAP has been a contributing factor “in a new public health crisis — obesity and chronic disease — by subsidizing the purchase of junk food with taxpayer dollars.”