Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2025 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, joined by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., today announced the approval of six new state SNAP food-choice waivers under the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative. The waivers, submitted by Hawai‘i, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, will amend the statutory definition of “food for purchase” under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beginning in 2026.

“President Trump has made it clear: we are restoring SNAP to its true purpose – nutrition. Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic diseases epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “America’s governors are answering that call with courage and innovation, offering solutions that honor the generosity of the taxpayer while helping families live longer, healthier lives. With these new waivers, we are empowering states to lead, protecting our children from the dangers of highly-processed foods, and moving one step closer to the President’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”

“Thank you to the 18 governors who are leading the charge on SNAP reform to restore the health of Americans—especially our kids. Their courageous leadership is exactly what we need to Make America Healthy Again,” said HHS Secretary Kennedy. “We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create.”

“This administration is taking a whole-of-government approach in our battle against obesity and chronic disease. By partnering with states on meaningful initiatives, such as today’s SNAP waivers, we answer President Trump’s call to Make America Health Again,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “I applaud Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, and the partnering governors for their bold actions to improve Americans’ health and wellbeing.”

Governor Statements

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe
“We are incredibly thankful for Secretary Rollins’ approval of our waiver,” said Governor Mike Kehoe. “Missouri is proud to partner with the Trump administration on the Make America Healthy Again movement as we refocus SNAP to maximize nutritional health for families while also supporting the abundant agricultural output of our state.”

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong
“By investing in healthier food purchases with SNAP, we are taking a proactive step toward becoming the healthiest state in the nation,” said Governor Armstrong. “This waiver will lead to better health outcomes and quality of life for North Dakotans who participate in SNAP.”

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster
“Thank you to President Trump and Secretary Rollins for approving our light-touch, common-sense approach to strengthen the SNAP program by promoting healthier outcomes for South Carolinians,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “By encouraging families to purchase healthy, nutritious food – and not junk food – we ensure federal taxpayer dollars are used to their maximum benefit and keep South Carolina at the forefront of the effort to Make America Healthy Again.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
“The Trump Administration's leadership to create innovative, responsible solutions that strengthen families and improve health outcomes will have a lasting impact on Tennesseans for generations to come,” said Governor Bill Lee. “I’m grateful to President Trump, Secretary Rollins, and Secretary Kennedy for quickly approving our SNAP waiver, and to our retailers and food producers for helping ensure nutritious food choices reach every community across our state.”

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin
“These actions build on Secretary Rollins’ “Laboratories of Innovation” initiative, announced on her first day in office, which invites governors to propose state-driven solutions to strengthen federal nutrition programs and protect taxpayer resources,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Today’s approvals follow previously amended waivers in Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah, marking 12 states that have now partnered with USDA and HHS to strengthen SNAP’s nutritional integrity. Each waiver tailors excluded items based on state submissions and will go into effect in 2026.”

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Washington, D.C., Nov. 20, 2025 — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced new guidance (PDF, 236 KB) surrounding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) commitment to protecting faith and religious expression and accommodation rights in the federal workplace.

“From the very beginning, America has recognized the freedom of religion as the bedrock principle of our Republic. It is no accident that the First Amendment protects the free exercise of faith alongside the freedoms of speech and assembly. At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, we must preserve religious liberty, not only as a constitutional guarantee, but also as a safeguard for every other freedom we hold dear,” said Secretary Rollins. “By protecting the right of every American to live out their faith and express religiously inspired ideas in public and in the workplace without fear, we are defending the very foundation of American liberty for this generation and the next. I thank President Trump for his bold leadership in restoring America’s constitutional heritage of religious liberty across the public sphere and the federal government.”

The memorandum aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14291 – Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission, which directs federal agencies to vigorously enforce protections for religious expression under federal law. USDA’s updated guidance ensures that employees can live out their faith without fear of retaliation, while maintaining a respectful and effective workplace across all mission areas.

This aligns with recent Supreme Court decisions that clarify the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty, consistent with President Trump’s directive to enforce the original constitutional meaning of religious liberty.

Under Secretary Rollins' leadership, USDA has:

• Rescinded the Biden Administration’s policy that tried to require federally funded food and nutrition service programs to redefine discrimination by reason of “sex” under federal law as not based on just male or female, but also “gender identity.” The policy was used against children from religious schools who were threatened with exclusion from USDA’s National School Lunch Program if they did not accept the Biden administration’s interpretation.
• Issued a statement reaffirming USDA’s commitment to uphold the American People’s right to religious liberty, including religious free expression, and setting my expectation that all USDA employees serve the public with full recognition of the constitutional protection given to religious exercise. Under an Obama Administration policy, USDA previously threatened to shut down a meat inspection plant because of religious material that federal inspectors found in an employee breakroom.
• Initiated an internal USDA review to align guidance with America’s historic understanding of religious liberty embodied in the Constitution which permits Americans to live out their faith in daily life and in the public square.
• Following the lead of the Office of Personnel Management, issued guidance to all USDA employees and supervisors clarifying protections for religious expression by the USDA workforce at the workplace.
• Hosted “Faith and Fellowship” night at the Great American Farmer’s market on the National Mall recognizing the historic connection in America’s heartland between faith and agriculture.

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Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2025 – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is proposing changes to strengthen the stocking requirements for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These changes would protect the program, participants, and taxpayers by mitigating fraud, waste, and abuse and ensuring additional healthy food options for recipient families.

"Retailers participating in SNAP need to sell real food, plain and simple. Right now, the bar for stocking food as a SNAP retailer is far too low, allowing people to game the system and leaving vulnerable Americans without healthy food options. These common-sense changes are designed to minimize benefit trafficking and skimming, among other fraudulent activities, while making more nutritious foods available to families who rely on the program,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “This is another step forward in President Trump’s mission to Make America Healthy Again.”

Currently, SNAP retailers are required to stock three varieties of food in each of four staple food categories – dairy, protein, grain, and fruits and vegetables – 12 foods total. The proposed rule:

• Increases variety requirements to seven per staple food category, more than doubling the food choices available to SNAP participants.
• Closes loopholes that allow certain snack foods to count as staple foods, emphasizing the importance of healthy, whole food.
• Simplifies how foods are classified, making the standards easier for retailers to understand – and FNS to enforce.

This proposed rule is part of USDA’s broader commitment to ensuring federal nutrition programs operate with integrity and respect to the American taxpayer. Low stocking requirements make SNAP more vulnerable to fraud and abuse, permitting retailers that aren’t genuinely in the business of selling food to cash in on taxpayer-funded benefits. With nearly 266,000 retailers redeeming $96 billion in SNAP benefits per year, no amount of fraud will be tolerated.

The changes also support the Trump administration’s promise to turn the tide on chronic disease and Make America Healthy Again. USDA is actively reorienting SNAP towards better nutrition and emphasizing whole, healthy food for program participants. This includes approving 12 states to exclude certain unhealthy foods from purchase with SNAP benefits.

USDA welcomes comments on the proposed rule from interested parties and the public. The full text of the rule is available on the FNS website. Comments may be submitted Sept. 25 through Nov. 24, 2025, by visiting regulations.gov.

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