Oklahoma governor seeks SNAP restriction, signs executive order to end state fluoride recommendation and ban artificial dyes in state-fed meals

Governor Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma, announced that the Oklahoma Department of Human Services has submitted a waiver to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking that soda, candy and confectionery items no longer be purchasable with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and he said he will sign an executive order instructing the Oklahoma Department of Health to stop recommending water fluoridation. He also directed state agencies that provide meals paid for by the state to discontinue the use of artificial food dyes.

The announcement came at an event billed as “Making Oklahoma Healthy Again” (MOHA) where Stitt introduced Bobby Kennedy, identified in the program as secretary of health and human services. Stitt said, "So today, I'm proud to announce that the team at Oklahoma DHS has submitted a waiver for SNAP benefits in Oklahoma... this waiver is on Secretary Brooke Rollins' desk right now at the USDA, and we're asking that she allow us to take soda, candy, and confectionery items off of the SNAP list." He added that the state will "work with the USDA to find more ways to promote healthy eating for families on SNAP benefits."

Stitt described the executive action as broader than nutrition rules: "I'm also gonna sign an executive order that continues to promote health in our state. I'm instructing the Oklahoma Department of Health to stop recommending fluoride in our water. Cities and water districts... can still choose to do what they want based on their constituents and the science, but it's no longer gonna be a recommendation from the state health department," he said. He further told attendees that state-paid meals served in schools, prisons and other programs should discontinue artificial dyes.

Bobby Kennedy, introduced as secretary of health and human services, framed the administration's move as part of a larger public-health effort linking diet to chronic disease and mental-health outcomes. Kennedy said the U.S. faces a rising chronic-disease burden and urged local action: "We need to do something different... The real changes have to come from the grassroots, from local leadership, I mean, individual Americans who are taking responsibility for their health." He told the crowd that changes in food served in institutions can affect behavior and health outcomes, citing studies he said show reductions in violence and restraints after diet changes in correctional settings.

Kennedy and Stitt both positioned the SNAP waiver as a fiscal as well as a health measure. Kennedy argued the federal government should not be funding purchases that he characterized as contributing to chronic disease, saying in part, "If you wanna drink a bottled soda, you should be able to have that right... The federal government should not be paying for it through taxpayer money. Ten percent of SNAP waivers go to soda drinks, and we're paying for them at the front end by buying soda for the poorest Americans, and then we're paying for them at the back end with this diabetes epidemic through Medicaid and Medicare." Those percentage and cost figures were stated by Kennedy during the event and are reported here as his claims.

In a short question-and-answer session, Kennedy said federal programs including Medicaid, Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration will continue to fund mental-health and addiction services and that the federal government is working with states to develop treatment approaches. Stitt said the administration will convene an advisory council to study additional changes to improve health outcomes across Oklahoma and said the state will pursue public education and fitness programs linked to MOHA.

Stitt did not provide an exact timeline for USDA action on the SNAP waiver. The request, as Stitt described it, requires approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Stitt said the waiver is currently with the USDA. He also said local water utilities and school districts retain authority to decide whether to fluoridate or to use specific food-service practices.

The administration framed the actions as preventive and cost-saving, with Stitt saying the measures will "save money" and "give us all better lives." The specific regulatory changes sought in the waiver and the contents of the executive order beyond the fluoride recommendation, artificial-dye restriction and advisory council were not provided in detail at the event.

Votes at a glance: There were no formal votes taken during the event; the governor announced executive actions and the submission of a federal waiver request.