The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is in the news again, this time with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders creating a bit of controversy about a proposal to add hot rotisserie chicken as one of the SNAP-approved items, after removing junk food like candy and soda.
Hot take: putting hot rotisserie chicken on food stamps is common sense.
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) April 23, 2026
Arkansas took items like candy and soft drinks off SNAP. Now let’s put healthy, affordable options like hot rotisserie chicken on. https://t.co/RqqlvU8GLZ
On the surface, this seems to be a reasonable proposal, but it opens up a can of worms. If we allow hot rotisserie chickens, why not other hot prepared foods? I know several of my local grocery stores have hot food counters in them that include mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, mixed vegetables, and soups. Why aren't those SNAP-approved, then, too?
As I wrote the other day, reducing dependence on government programs like SNAP is a good thing and a goal we should strive towards. SNAP was not meant to be a lifestyle choice. It was meant to be a safety net when employment and other economic concerns make keeping food on the table a challenge. And, as I pointed out, SNAP should not have to give recipients "happiness" in the form of candy, soda, or popsicles. Those are luxury items and for people who do not have the government paying their grocery bill, they're the items that get cut from shopping lists first when the budget doesn't allow for such treats.
Nor should SNAP be a resource for ready-made convenience meals, although it does cover frozen TV dinners. If someone wants a chicken, it takes 20 to 25 minutes to bake boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It takes about 45 minutes to cook bone-in chicken breasts, and it takes between 90 mins and two hours to roast a whole chicken. If you are a SNAP recipient, odds are you are not working 60 or more hours a week. That means there is time to cook chicken for dinner.
Reading through some of the replies on X, there seems to be little positive reception for this news. In fact, most people are mad and frustrated. I understand that, too. After years of fraud, waste, and abuse in the programs and endless streams of social media videos featuring SNAP recipients buying steak and lobster with our tax dollars, people are fed up. They are tired of scrimping and budgeting to make ends meet while SNAP recipients eat like kings, brag about it, and then act like ingrates. The optics of making things easier for SNAP recipients isn't great in this political climate.
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There are also economic considerations. I've noticed a reduction in the cost of soda and other junk food, and I'm not alone.
How much is it going to make the cost go up? We keep seeing the cost go down for junk food. So the same economic principle would apply, or will even be chicken available for the non EBT paying customers. And why can't the cook their own free meals? The needs to go back to how it…
— B Rob (@robisonbw) April 23, 2026
Soda for less than 50 cents a can now that the companies have been weaned from the government teet .
— Rowdy Rick Robinson (@RowdyRick73) April 19, 2026
I’m shocked, Really pic.twitter.com/bvD5XQOphu
On Feburary 3, PepsiCo announced it was slashing prices on chips and Cheetos by 15 percent.
Jan 1, 2026: 18 states removed junk food and sodas from SNAP (food stamps) eligibility list.
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) February 5, 2026
Feb 3, 2026: Pepsi (parent company) reduced prices on Doritos, Cheetos and Lay's chips by 15%.
Giving free stuff to illegals (and everyone) makes stuff more expensive for all of us. pic.twitter.com/TVRmPqKdfz
What will happen to the cost of rotisserie chickens, if we subsidize them? At Costco, a chicken is roughly $4.99. The cost currently ranges from $5 to $7 at other retailers. That will invariably go up if hot rotisserie chickens are added to the list of SNAP-approved foods.
And with affordability on voters' minds, that's a price hike Republicans literally cannot afford.
