GOP lawmaker: No more food stamps to buy junk food

“The possibility that SNAP is contributing to some Americans’ health issues is absolutely unacceptable,” Coburn said in a statement, noting a Yale University study that reported that purchasing sugary beverages constituted 58 percent of all beverage purchases with the benefits and $2 billion out of the $75 billion allocated to the program.

{mosads}The amendment, though non-binding, would require a new regulatory framework that would study the nutritional value of food and determine what SNAP beneficiaries should and should not eat.

Coburn’s office called it a “common sense policy modification.”

“A significant portion of low-income Americans struggle with obesity, diabetes, and other health issues that result from an unhealthy diet, yet the principle federal program aimed at providing nutrition to that demographic lacks the necessary controls to ensure a positive outcome. In fact, SNAP may actually be exacerbating the problem,” the doctor-turned-senator said.

The upper chamber is scheduled to resume votes on the budget amendments around 2:30 p.m.