WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department allowed six additional states Monday to bar participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from using their benefits to buy certain processed foods, such as sodas and candy. The SNAP waivers for West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas amend the statutory definition of food for purchase and put an end to the subsidization of popular types of junk food beginning in 2026. The administration of President Donald Trump has encouraged all states to take such measures as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, named for the social movement led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The USDA had so far signed waivers to allow six states — Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska — to place similar purchasing restrictions on SNAP recipients. “I hope to see all 50 states join this bold commonsense approach. For too long, the root…
