AUGUSTA (AP) – Maine’s governor and fellow Republicans in two other states hope President Donald Trump will be more amenable to banning food stamps to buy soda and junk food than his predecessor.
Former President Barack Obama’s administration shot down a soda ban proposal for food stamp recipients in 2011 by then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and last summer he raised concerns with a Maine proposal to restrict soda and candy purchases.
But Maine Gov. Paul LePage is now renewing his efforts under the Trump administration and has inspired legislators in Tennessee and Arkansas, who say they won’t give up trying to restrict food stamp purchases.
Trump’s budget proposal doesn’t include food stamp changes.
But his choice for secretary of agriculture has signaled support for overhauling the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less