It looks like SNAP — the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that’s supposed to help struggling Americans put food on the table — is finally having a long-overdue “come to Jesus” moment. After years of politicians looking the other way, the program is now under intense scrutiny, especially after the recent government shutdown exposed just how much taxpayer money is being squandered on individuals gaming and abusing the system.
The scrutiny over SNAP didn’t just materialize out of thin air—it began earlier this year when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., finally mustered the courage to take on one of Washington’s sacred cows. Backed by the surging Make American Health Again (MAHA) movement, he greenlit West Virginia’s request to ban the use of federal food-assistance dollars for buying soft drinks. That one decision cracked open a long-overdue national conversation: why are taxpayers being forced to subsidize carts full of soda, candy, and other junk food?
Then came the Schumer Shutdown, and the issue went from simmer to full boil. With November funding for SNAP nowhere in sight, outraged recipients flocked to social media to vent. But their “we’re on the brink of starvation!” tirades were undercut by a glaring detail: so many filmed themselves from the comfort of late-model cars, well-decorated homes, and with enough bling, acrylic nails, and high-end accessories to make an influencer blush.
And that’s the elephant in the room Democrats don’t want anyone talking about: how did so many able-bodied, obviously well-provided-for individuals end up on SNAP to begin with? The program was supposed to be a safety net—not a lifestyle subsidy for people who seem to have everything except personal responsibility.
When Congress passed the original Food Stamps Act in 1964, the program wasn’t designed to be a cradle-to-grave entitlement or a taxpayer-funded shopping spree. It was meant to provide temporary help to financially struggling Americans while they got back on their feet. And the rules were crystal clear: benefits could be used for basic staples—fruits, vegetables, meats. That was it. The expectation was simple and responsible—people would buy real ingredients and cook real meals at home.
What wasn’t on the menu? Fast food, prepackaged junk, or microwaveable “ready meals.” In other words, the program was built around accountability and nutrition, not convenience and dependency.
Well, that train didn’t just derail—it went off a cliff. As Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has pointed out, taxpayers are now footing the bill for hundreds of millions of dollars in fast-food meals bought with SNAP benefits. And where is this happening? Mostly in—you guessed it—deep-blue states that treat welfare dollars like a bottomless slush fund.
The rot set in back in 1977, when a convenient little loophole allowed states to join the so-called Restaurant Meals Program. It was supposed to be a narrowly tailored exception for homeless recipients who had no kitchens and literally couldn’t cook. But, as always happens when bureaucrats and Democrats get involved, eligibility didn’t stay narrow for long. Suddenly spouses, the elderly, and the disabled were all included, and states began lining up for the freebies.
Today, nine states have opted in: Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia. And according to Ernst, California is the crown jewel of abuse—shoveling out taxpayer dollars so recipients can pick up fast-food combos instead of actual groceries:
California expanded its program statewide, for example, in 2021 that allowed restaurants to accept CalFresh benefits via SNAP at a swath of top fast-food chains stretching from McDonald’s to Domino’s Pizza to Jack in the Box.
Ernst’s office found that from June 2023 to May 2025, more than $475 million in taxpayer dollars funded Restaurant Meals Program meals at fast-food establishments.
The days of the blue state fast food boondoggle may soon be over if Ernst’s new bill, the McSCUSE ME Act, successfully makes it way through the legislature. The bill would “rein in the scope of the Restaurant Meals Program. Specifically, the bill would continue allowing homeless, elderly and disabled individuals to continue using the program, but ending spousal eligibility.”
NEW: Sen. Joni Ernst just sponsored the McSCUSE ME Act to stop blue states from blowing $475M+ in SNAP cash fast food like McDonald’s and Domino’s.
California alone burned $524M on it. pic.twitter.com/WuGe8vpTN9
— E X X ?A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) November 20, 2025
“The ‘N’ in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries,” Ernst told Fox News. “I wish I was McRibbing you but $250 million per year at the drive-through is no joke and a serious waste of tax dollars. I hate to be the one to say McSCUSE ME, but something needs to be done because taxpayers are not lovin’ it.”
