PHOENIX — As an Arizona invoice to dam folks from utilizing authorities assist to purchase soda headed to the governor’s desk in April, the nation’s high well being official joined Arizona lawmakers within the state Capitol to have fun its passage.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned to applause that the legislation was simply the beginning and that he wished to prevent federal funding from paying for different unhealthy meals.
“We’re not going to do that overnight,” Kennedy mentioned. “We’re going to do that in the next four years.”
Those phrases of warning proved prescient when Arizona’s Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, vetoed the invoice per week later. Nevertheless, state laws to limit what low-income folks can purchase utilizing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program advantages is gaining momentum, boosted by Kennedy’s touting it as a part of his “Make America Healthy Again” platform. At least 14 states have thought-about payments this 12 months with related SNAP restrictions on particular unhealthy meals equivalent to sweet, with Idaho and Utah passing such laws as of mid-April.
Healthy meals itself isn’t largely a partisan situation, and those that research vitamin are inclined to agree that lowering the quantity of sugary meals folks eat is a good suggestion to keep away from well being penalties equivalent to coronary heart illness. But the query over the federal government’s function in deciding who can purchase what has turn out to be political.
The group largely behind SNAP restriction laws is the Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative coverage suppose tank out of Florida, and its affiliated lobbying arm, which has used the title Opportunity Solutions Project.
FGA has labored for greater than a decade to reshape the nation’s public help applications. That consists of SNAP, which federal knowledge exhibits helps a median of 42 million people afford meals every month. It additionally advocates for methods to chop Medicaid, the federal-state program that connects 71 million people to backed well being care, together with efforts in Idaho and Montana this 12 months.
FGA’s proposals typically search to restrict who faucets into that assist and the assistance they obtain. Those backing the group’s mission say the purpose is to save lots of tax {dollars} and assist folks elevate themselves out of poverty. Critics argue that FGA’s proposals are a backdoor approach to reduce off assist to individuals who want it and that making wholesome meals and well being care extra reasonably priced is a greater repair.
Now, FGA sees extra room for change underneath the Trump administration and the Kennedy-led well being division, calling 2025 a “window of opportunity for major reform,” in accordance with its latest annual report.
A Vision for Limiting Government Benefits
Tarren Bragdon, a former Maine legislator, founded FGA in 2011 to advertise insurance policies to “free millions from government dependency and open the doors for them to chase their own American Dream,” he mentioned in an announcement on FGA’s web site. The major basis started out as a workers of three with about $60,000 within the financial institution. As of 2023, it had a finances of greater than $15 million and a crew of roughly 64, in accordance with the latest available tax documents, and that’s not counting the lobbying arm.
The basis bought early funding from a grant from the State Policy Network, which has lengthy backed right-leaning suppose tanks with ties to conservative activists together with brothers Charles and David Koch.
FGA declined a number of interview requests for this text.
In current years, the nonprofit helped draft a 2017 Mississippi legislation, the Jackson Free Press discovered, which intensified eligibility checks for public assist that made it more difficult for some candidates to qualify. It efficiently pushed a 2023 effort in Idaho to impose work requirements for meals advantages that well being care advocates mentioned led some recipients to lose entry.
The identical 12 months, the group helped cross SNAP restrictions affecting eligibility in Iowa. Since these restrictions have taken impact, the Food Bank of Iowa has seen a document variety of folks present up at its pantries amid rising grocery costs and a scaling again of covid pandemic-era federal help, mentioned Annette Hacker, a vice chairman on the nonprofit.
Part of the group’s technique is to cross laws state by state, with the concept the crush of recent legal guidelines will improve strain on the federal authorities. For instance, states can’t restrict what meals is bought via SNAP with out federal approval via a waiver course of. And prior to now, a few of FGA’s efforts have stalled as a result of states by no means bought that approval.
Kennedy’s agenda now echoes a few of FGA’s key messages, and he has mentioned states can count on approval of their waivers. Meanwhile, congressional leaders are eyeing nationwide Medicaid cuts and work necessities, which FGA considers amongst its major issues. The basis additionally has a connection working contained in the administration: Its former coverage director, Sam Adolphsen, was tapped to advise President Donald Trump on home issues.
“We’re excited to fight from Topeka to Washington, D.C., as opposed to Washington, D.C., to Topeka,” Roy Lenardson, FGA’s state authorities affairs director, instructed Kansas lawmakers in February when testifying in help of SNAP laws there.
Shaping State Policies
In the states, FGA has turn out to be referred to as a conservative “thought leader,” mentioned Brian Colby, vice chairman of public coverage for Missouri Budget Project, a progressive nonprofit that gives evaluation of state coverage points.
“Conservatives used to try to chop away at the federal budget,” Colby mentioned. “These guys are doing it at the state level.”
In its 14 years, FGA has created a playbook to form state coverage discussions round public advantages behind the scenes. In Montana, retired Republican legislator Cary Smith, who labored with FGA, mentioned not all the suppose tank’s concepts cut up alongside celebration traces.
“They offer a buffet of options,” he mentioned. “Their agenda is making government accountable; it’s in the name.”
He mentioned apart from drafting laws, FGA offers speaking factors and knowledge to assist policymakers help their arguments. “They would go in and would say, ‘This is what Medicaid fraud is costing us,’” Smith mentioned. “That would be the number you’d want to use in your bill.”
In January, FGA launched a memo for states to “stop taxpayer-funded junk food.” In February, Stateline reported that Wyoming Republican state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger mentioned the group requested him to sponsor a SNAP restriction invoice. The state sponsor of comparable laws in Missouri has repeated no less than one in every of FGA’s speaking factors, as reported by the Missouri Independent. In Arizona, Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci, who sponsored the SNAP laws there, instructed KFF Health News FGA was behind that invoice as effectively.
Opponents of such payments argue the proposals are usually not so simple as they sound. Amid debate on a SNAP invoice in Montana, Kiera Condon, with the Montana Food Bank Network, testified the laws would drive grocery retailer staff to type via what counts as soda or sweet, “which could result in retailers not participating in SNAP at all.”
State lawmakers tabled the Montana bill in April.
Montana legislators additionally simply handed a invoice to increase the state’s Medicaid enlargement program even after FGA started publishing a collection of papers that asserted the program was “breaking” Montana’s finances. FGA had presented data saying most Montanans on this system don’t work, which state data refutes.
Ed Bolen, who leads meals assist methods on the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suppose tank, mentioned FGA has a sample of proposing technical modifications to present legal guidelines and “unworkable work requirements” that trigger folks to lose advantages.
After working with policymakers in Kansas for a decade, FGA helped cross laws that restricted how lengthy folks can entry money help, added work necessities to SNAP, and banned the state from spending federal or state funds to advertise public assist. Many of these modifications got here via 2015 laws referred to as the “HOPE Act” drafted by FGA, The Washington Post reported.
Analysis from Kansas Appleseed, an advocacy group for low-income Kansans, discovered the SNAP caseload sharply declined after the invoice was enacted due to the brand new hurdles, dropping from 140,000 households in January 2014 to 90,000 as of January 2020.
“It’s death by a thousand cuts,” mentioned Karen Siebert, an adviser for Harvesters, a group meals financial institution community in Kansas and Missouri. “Some of these FGA proposals are such complex policies, it’s hard to argue against and to explain the ripple effects.”
In 2024, the inspiration produced greater than two dozen movies that includes state politicians from throughout the nation touting the group’s objectives and dozens of analysis papers arguing public advantages are wrecking state budgets. FGA additionally has its own polling team to supply knowledge out of the states it’s working to affect.
The group launched a listing of 14 states it labeled as “redder and better” locations to exert extra affect. That included Idaho, the place the group has 4 registered lobbyists within the state Capitol.
In 2023, FGA helped present and efficiently foyer for laws there to require folks receiving meals assist to work no less than 80 hours a month. The group referred to as the ensuing legislation “landmark welfare reform” years within the making.
And this 12 months, Idaho lawmakers handed extra necessities for folks enrolled in Medicaid who can work. FGA staffers labored with one of many co-sponsors of the laws on an identical invoice final 12 months that failed, then once more this 12 months. A compromise invoice handed with FGA’s backing, marking one other victory for the inspiration.
David Lehman, a lobbyist for the Idaho Association of Community Providers, which represents well being organizations which have opposed FGA payments, mentioned Idaho illustrates how FGA works with sympathetic lawmakers in conservative states to achieve extra floor.
“They’re pushing an already rolling rock downhill,” he mentioned.
Katheryn Houghton:
[email protected],
@K_Hought
Samantha Liss:
[email protected],
@samanthann
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