The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hosted a hearing on Thursday to address fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). During the hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled the SNAP director at the Food and Research Action Center (FRAC) over the use of taxpayer dollars for non-essentials like sugary sodas.
.@RepBrandonGill: “Should SNAP dollars be spent on sodas?”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 25, 2026
PLATA-NINO: “The purpose of the SNAP program is to provide families to have food and beverages.”
GILL: “Do they need sugary sodas to survive?”
PLATA-NINO: “Some of them do…” pic.twitter.com/08fw1zMidW
I asked the SNAP policy director at the Food Research and Action Council if it's a good use of tax dollars for food stamps to pay for sugary sodas.
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) June 25, 2026
She refused to answer.
I then asked her if it's a conflict of interest for her organization to be funded by companies like General… pic.twitter.com/EuB5vjUqJM
Gill asked Director Gina Plata-Nino whether SNAP dollars should be used to purchase sugary sodas. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more individual SNAP benefits are spent on soft drinks than on any other commodity. "Taxpayer money should be utilized to ensure that individuals have access to the food that they need to survive," Plata-Nino responded. Gill followed up, asking if individuals need sugary sodas to survive, to which Plata-Nino said, "Some do." Gill continued to press her on whether individuals "need Coca-Cola to survive," but she repeatedly dodged the question, saying she did not know.
Plata-Nino was asked whether FRAC, her organization, is funded by soft drink makers or by organizations that make money from food stamps. "I don't have access to that information," she said. Rep. Gill then presented evidence that FRAC is funded by General Mills, a major food corporation that benefits from food stamps. "Do you think that that's a conflict of interest?" Gill asked. Plata-Nino did not respond.
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The exchange revealed a particularly noticeable gap between the intent and reality of SNAP benefits. According to Subcommittee Chairman Tim Burchett, fraud is rampant within the SNAP program:
Roughly $10 billion in taxpayer funds were lost through SNAP in 2024, while some states refuse to hand over the data needed to crack down on fraud. Americans are sick of their money being wasted or stolen by fraudsters. SNAP is one of the federal government’s largest welfare programs, costing taxpayers more than $100 billion each year.
Rep. Gill's questioning is part of a larger, ongoing debate over whether the government can restrict SNAP purchases. Taxpayers are spending billions on non-nutritional commodities for a "nutrition assistance program," all while major food corporations are profiting. Major SNAP reforms are necessary to ensure taxpayer dollars are not being wasted.
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