New SNAP Benefit Changes Take The Joy Out Of Childhood For Texas Kids

Beginning April 1st, 2026, poor Texans who rely on SNAP will no longer be able to purchase things like candy, sweetened drinks, or sodas with their benefits. This means that not only will poor parents not be able to buy a Coke for themselves, but they also won't be able to buy a treat for their kiddos.

According to the Brookings Institution, 80 cents of every dollar of SNAP benefits are used to purchase the normal grocery staples like meat, bread, milk, rice, and cereal, and roughly 20 cents per dollar on average goes to things like candy, sweetened drinks, and salty snacks.

What does that sound like to you?

To me, it sounds like everyone is doing the same kind of shopping when they go to the grocery store, whether they use SNAP or not. I don't know about you guys, but if I spent $100 at the grocery store, $20 is probably going toward snacky things that make me happy.

Life in the modern world is NOT only about eating for sustenance. There is an enjoyment aspect in there, too. It's important. It's why we have dessert. It's a whole f*cking thing.

Screw the poor kids, right? Who cares if they get made fun of by their peers for never having Cokes in the fridge when they have a sleepover, or set apart for never having sweets in their lunchboxes like everyone else?

Who cares if they get to eat a few cookies LIKE A NORMAL CHILD every once in a while, right? They're poor.

Abbott says this is about making sure SNAP benefits go toward building a "stronger, healthier Texas," but to me, it sounds like a way to further divide the top from the bottom, and a way to ostracize poor kids from the get-go. Remind them IMMEDIATELY that they are different from the other kids in school. Sure. Why not?

I mean, you already do it when they are in the school lunch line and given a PB&J because their parents owe a couple of dollars for their school lunches. Why not make them feel even worse? Kick them while they are down, Greg! (Roll over them, rather, but whatever.)

Why not take away the only thing someone has to look forward to when they are struggling to keep the lights on and gas in the car, a few treats after dinner with their kids while they watch a movie?

I am so sick of things being taken away from the poor in Texas instead of being given to them. Stop stealing from children who have no stake in the game. Stop punishing them for their parents' shortcomings and the situations they were born into. This is ridiculous.

Nobody uses their SNAP benefits to load up on junk food. It's a MYTH. Do you even understand how hard it is to be approved for SNAP in the first place? NOBODY wants to be approved for SNAP! If you are approved for it, you basically have nothing. It's not a badge of honor to have a SNAP card, the way some folks who have NEVER had one would like you to believe. It's a false narrative that finds a way to steal from those who have nothing to fight back with and to blame the poor for problems in society, far out of their control.

Poor kids eating cookies and having a soda is not the problem, Greggy Boy. You and I both know that.

So, sure, go ahead. Take away what little joy some parents had left in being able to buy their child a treat while they scrape by through what could be the hardest part of their life. Go ahead. Just take it all away.

You're stealing candy from a baby, Abbott. Great job. May you find yourself with every cavity they miss the chance to get.