Congress restricts what poor Americans can buy with food stamps
H.R. 813 — Funding is Zero for Zero Nutrition Options (FIZZ-NO) Act of 2025 · Filed by Keith Self (R-TX) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 28, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to prohibit SNAP (food stamp) recipients from using their benefits to purchase soda, defined as carbonated beverages with more than 1 gram of added sugar, artificial sweetener, or flavoring per serving. The ban takes effect 180 days after enactment.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on a category of food purchases within an existing benefit program. It is a dietary/nutritional policy lever, not a financial carve-out or procedural maneuver.
What the text implies
- SNAP recipients may face enforcement burden: retailers must verify soda purchases at point-of-sale, creating friction and potential embarrassment for low-income shoppers.
- Definition of 'soda' (>1g added sugar/sweetener per serving) may capture diet sodas and some flavored waters, expanding the restriction beyond traditional sugary soft drinks.
- No appropriation for enforcement or retailer training; compliance costs may fall on state agencies or retailers, potentially reducing program accessibility.
- Substitution effects unknown: recipients may shift to other high-calorie beverages (juice, energy drinks) not covered by the ban, or reduce overall food purchases if soda was a significant part of their budget.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill restricts SNAP recipients' autonomy and purchasing power, which is a cost to citizens relying on the program. However, if the intent is to improve nutrition outcomes among low-income households, there is a potential public-health benefit — though that benefit is speculative and depends on whether recipients substitute with healthier options or simply reduce overall consumption.
Named in the bill
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, House Committee on Agriculture
Where it stands
3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.
- Jan 28, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 28, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $70,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Keith Self, the sponsor, reported $185,131 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Solvay Chemicals Inc. — $70,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (543 characters) on Jul 2, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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