A federal judge on Monday struck down multiple state pilot programs that restricted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients from using their benefits to buy unhealthy foods.

Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins incorrectly interpreted federal law when approving limits on what SNAP recipients could purchase with their benefits, Politico reported. The ruling impacts such pilot programs in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the outlet.

“With her solicitation and approval of the pilot projects in this case, the Secretary purports to waive not just a mere administrative or technical obstacle, but the very definition of ‘food’ as it was laid down by Congress,” the ruling says, Politico reported. “Neither the [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)] nor the states can force this square peg into a round hole to avoid the plain language of the statute and the requirements of 2026(k).”

The USDA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The USDA has thus far signed off on “food restriction” waivers ⁠in 23 states letting them prohibit SNAP participants from using their benefits to purchase items such as ​candy and soda, Reuters reported.

President Donald Trump’s administration is “leading bold reform to strengthen integrity and restore nutritional value within” SNAP, according to a statement on the USDA’s website.

“USDA is empowering states with greater flexibility to manage their  programs by approving SNAP Food Restriction Waivers that restrict the purchase of non-nutritious items like soda and candy,” according to the USDA. “These waivers are a key step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars provide nutritious options that improve health outcomes within SNAP.”

U.S. states reported having to replace over $320 million in stolen SNAP benefits from October 2022 to December 2024, according to a December 2025 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

The Justice Department announced on May 22 that a Maryland man had been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison “for masterminding” a SNAP benefits “fraud scam” and other related crimes.

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