Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders urges Trump secretary picks to scrap junk food

• The program, formerly known as Food Stamps, is designed to support low-income families with access to nutritious food.

Sanders sent the letter Wednesday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary-Designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary-Designate Brooke Rollins.

The big picture: Kennedy has been vocal about his misgivings of processed foods, corn syrup, fluoride in water and weight-loss drugs.

By the numbers: Nearly a quarter-million Arkansans participate in SNAP, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

• The number was 305,000 in 2021 and at a peak of 504,549 in 2012, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Zoom out: Nationally, the program served an average of 42.1 million people per month, or 12.6% of U.S. residents during fiscal 2023.

What she's saying: Noting maternal health care is a priority for her administration, Sanders said, "We will never address our maternal health challenges unless we tackle chronic health conditions, like diabetes and obesity, that dramatically increase the risk of pregnancy complications."

• "​​As Secretaries, I ask that you work collaboratively across the Administration to prohibit the sale of junk food in SNAP and end taxpayer-funded junk food," the letter states.

Arkansas will pursue a waiver from USDA to "support fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and protein and prohibit using SNAP for junk food," the letter says.

Go deeper: See USDA's guidelines for SNAP