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Thursday, May. 1, 2025

Did Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs veto a bill that sought to ban the use of SNAP benefits to buy soda?

Carmela Guaglianone, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
yes

In April, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that sought to prohibit people from using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — commonly known as food stamps — to purchase soda. SNAP is a federal program administered at the state level. 

House Bill 2165, advanced by Republican lawmakers, mirrored efforts in states like Iowa and Nebraska to block the use of SNAP benefits for soda and other sugary foods. Some states have already asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for waivers to restrict SNAP benefits as part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

Though Hobbs commended the effort to “improve health outcomes” for Arizonans in her veto letter,  she stated that she did not support doing so by dictating what SNAP beneficiaries could buy. 

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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