Mississippi will seek a waiver that would restrict the use of food assistance benefits to purchase sugary food and drinks, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday. 

The announcement comes as thousands of Mississippi families face the loss of Supplemental Food Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Saturday as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

In addition, purchasing hot prepared chicken with SNAP benefits would be allowed if the federal government accepts the state’s waiver application. If approved, the changes will take effect in January 2027. 

“In a nation that is printing money daily just to make our debt payments, it doesn’t make sense to throw your tax money at anything other than the true necessities,” Reeves said in a statement. 

“So it makes no sense at all to fund sugar instead of hearty nutritious meals. That’s why we’re amending our food stamp rules to allow good sustaining food like rotisserie chickens and disallow sugary candy and drinks.”

Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Friday to use emergency funds to continue SNAP payments. It was not clear how quickly people would be able to access their benefits, a process that can take one to two weeks, according to the Associated Press.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services said it could not yet comment on how the ruling will impact distribution of SNAP benefits in the state for November. 

Food assistance has continued to flow in past shutdowns, but the federal government has said it cannot use emergency funds to pay for the program during the ongoing shutdown. 

Reeves has not indicated he will move for Mississippi to bridge the gap in the food assistance program until the federal shutdown ends. Democratic and Republican governors in a handful of other states, including Louisiana, have pledged to use state funds to cover all or part of the program.

Dr. Patricia Tibbs, the president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said she shares Reeves’ goal of promoting healthy eating, but believes that state leaders must first address the loss of benefits that will begin Saturday. 

“While efforts to encourage healthier food choices are commendable, restricting options without ensuring consistent access to food first risks worsening hunger in already vulnerable homes,” she said in a written statement to Mississippi Today. 

“It is difficult to talk about ‘healthy choices’ when families face empty refrigerators.” 

Twelve other states, overwhelmingly led by Republican governors, have been approved this year for waivers that ban the purchase of sugary foods and drinks by the United States Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food assistance program. The approved changes will take effect next year. 

Some states have been approved for or requested waivers that allow for the purchase of hot chicken. SNAP benefits can not currently be used to buy any foods that are hot at the point of sale.

Mississippi’s waiver asks the federal government to approve the following changes to SNAP: 

• Banning purchases of processed foods that list sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. The restrictions do not include foods with granulated sugar, raw sugar, and other single-ingredient sugars used for cooking and baking listed as the first two ingredients.
• Banning purchases of beverages that list carbonated water and sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. Drinks that list aspartame or other low- or noncaloric sweeteners as the first two ingredients will remain eligible.
• Making hot prepared chicken eligible for purchase using SNAP benefits, including items like rotisserie and non-fried, non-breaded chicken. The state also plans to collaborate with the Double Up Food Bucks Program to encourage people to buy fresh fruits and vegetables with purchases of hot prepared chicken.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed for the changes as a part of his “make America healthy again” agenda and encouraged states to apply for waivers. 

“For years, SNAP has used taxpayer dollars to fund soda and candy — products that fuel America’s diabetes and chronic disease epidemics,” he said in a statement on Aug. 4. 

About 1 in 8 Mississippians — or about 400,000 people — receive food assistance through SNAP. Two thirds of participants are in families with children, and about 41% are in households with older adults or adults with a disability. 

An August report from state Auditor Shad White found that Mississippi taxpayers would save $22 million annually and improve the health of its citizens by restricting the purchase of certain junk foods with SNAP benefits.

“President Trump is focused on making America healthy again, so we need to make Mississippi healthy again,” said White in a statement. 

“That means a renewed commitment to exercise and teaching our children healthy habits, but it also means using a little more common sense in how we spend taxpayer money on food stamps.”