FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2025
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., applaud Idaho’s actions
Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 109 today banning candy and soda from the government’s food assistance program and celebrated the Make America Healthy Again movement – or MAHA – championed by the Trump administration.
“Idaho welcomes the MAHA movement. It is all about looking for creative ways to improve nutrition and increase exercise, the two main factors that influence overall health. Secretary Kennedy said it so well: we need to take better care of ourselves and each other. He said it is an act of patriotism, and the future of our nation depends on it. Idaho couldn’t agree more,” Governor Little said.
“Thank you, Governor Little for your leadership and commitment to the MAHA movement to ensure taxpayer-funded SNAP dollars go to nutritious food, not soda,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said. “I urge all governors to follow Idaho’s lead and submit innovative SNAP waivers to the USDA to reverse the childhood chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again.”
”I am thrilled more states are heeding the call to Make America Healthy Again, including by submitting demonstration projects to promote healthier choices in SNAP purchasing,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. “Governor Little is a true partner to USDA, and we look forward to working together on ways to use SNAP to improve health outcomes for Americans and encourage better use of taxpayer dollars.”
House Bill 109 requires a federal waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to implement the changes to Idaho’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, and Governor Little said his administration is committed to securing the waiver as quickly as possible.
“I do recognize 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,” Governor Little added.
Governor Little noted that America spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country, with worse health outcomes because of chronic diseases, and the food we eat is at the center of the problem.
