Senator Marco Rubio (R, Fla.) wrote an Op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, “No More Subsidies for Junk Food,” proposing a ban on the use of SNAP monies, i.e., food stamps, to buy soda (called “pop” where I’m from) and prepared desserts.1 Senator Rubio claims this would promote healthier diets, reduce “food deserts” in low-income neighborhoods by encouraging stores to carry healthy foods, and reduce long-run medical expenses, a veritable policy three-for-one.
Of course, all this is assuming his idea would work. But if SNAP funds can’t be used for pop and desserts, people could easily use SNAP money for other things and save their cash for what they really want. Or they could buy SNAP-approved products and then trade them for pop and desserts. They could even sell their excess SNAP money for cash, at a discount, of course, so they could buy the banned items.
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