States Are Excluding Soda from SNAP. Should They?
October 21, 2025
1 hr 30 min
10
Full
1,075 of 1,147
October 21, 2025
States Are Excluding Soda from SNAP. Should They?
0:00 / 1:30:59
Excerpt playback isn’t available for this episode — use the full-episode link.
Search the Record
Moment search isn’t open for this episode yet
When it opens, you’ll be able to type any phrase and jump straight to the second it was said.
Pantsuit Politics Episodes Around October 21, 2025
Episode 1,075 of 1,147 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
1:30:59This episodeStates Are Excluding Soda from SNAP. Should They?
Summary
Should SNAP benefits cover soda and candy? Six states get federal approval to exclude them, and Sarah and Beth debate whether this is smart public health policy or government overreach—wrestling with the tension between the "nutrition" and "assistance" parts of the program's mission.
Should tax dollars subsidize products that make people less healthy? Sarah and Beth explore the "common sense politics" of restricting junk food purchases, Sarah's personal experience using SNAP cards during COVID, and whether the Biden administration should have approved state waivers as experiments instead of blocking them.
Is the soda industry the real villain? Sarah calls soda "poison" and predicts it will be viewed like cigarettes in decades to come, while Beth argues the government should regulate the industry upstream rather than police individual purchases downstream.
Plus: Bedtime routines, sleep struggles, and why Beth can sleep through anything while Sarah wakes up at the slightest sound.
Ready to go deeper? Visit our website for complete show notes, exclusive premium content, chats and more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode details and artwork are published by the show’s own feed. Sentinel plays short cited excerpts and links every episode back to its publisher.