Senator Davis and Representative Rehfeldt Announce Legislation to Reform SNAP
BURBANK, S.D. – Today, Senator Sydney Davis (R-District 17) and Representative Taylor Rehfeldt (R-District 14) announced they will introduce legislation for the 2026 Legislative Session to reform South Dakota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aligning the state with much-needed reforms championed by the Trump Administration through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“SNAP should support healthier choices while ensuring accountability and responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” said Representative Rehfeldt. “With President Trump and his Administration urging states to take the lead on meaningful reforms, South Dakota should not be the one dragging its feet.”
Rehfeldt and Davis noted that the introduction of this legislation, unfortunately, follows months of inaction from the Rhoden Administration. Earlier this summer, Rehfeldt and Davis sent a formal letter to Governor Rhoden urging the administration to submit a waiver request. The waiver would have allowed South Dakota to modernize the program, promote healthier food choices, and strengthen accountability.
“Earlier this summer, we asked Governor Rhoden to take the first step by submitting a waiver request from the USDA,” said Senator Davis. “Unfortunately, the administration said that implementation would be too burdensome and declined to pursue it. If the executive branch won’t lead on this issue, we will.“
Currently, a growing number of both Republican and Democratic-led states are stepping up to reform SNAP. To date, at least a dozen states have received USDA waivers allowing them to prohibit SNAP purchases of sugary drinks, candy, or other low-nutrition items beginning in 2026.
As both mothers and healthcare professionals, Rehfeldt and Davis emphasized that their efforts are rooted in compassion, responsible governance, and a commitment to long-term positive health outcomes for children and families.
The bill text can be found here and is expected to be published before the 2026 Legislative Session.
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Snap has been bloated by all the lobbyist’s looking to pad their pockets. Gas Stations and Premade food locations should not be allowed. Good luck changing that.
Dusty is on top of this important issue. Larry loves soda. Doeden obviously likes junk food. Hansen (but more so lems) hate anything that gives your pleasure.
Thank you for your leadership dusty. Poor people shouldn’t get to eat cake.
To your point I like Dusty’s leadership on this and it’s why he’ll make a great governor. He’s forward thinking. The other candidates wait for a hot button topic to present itself and jump on it like it was their idea. I like the idea of no “junk” food being purchased with SNAP benefits. It does,however, give the idea negative vibes when you say poor people shouldn’t eat cake. They can eat cake, they just have to buy it with their own money. Thankfully I’m not on food assistance. And I’m positive there are hordes of really good hard working people who would rather not be, but it’s a hand dealt to them. Buy the twinkies and Mountain Dew with your own cash.
Look at Dusty’s slogan “Make SD Healthy Again” and then go look at RFK’s FB page “Make America Healthy Again” and read what he’s proposing. Hardly a topic/slogan Dusty came up with on his own; speaking of people jumping on the bandwagon of hot topics.
Two nurse anesthetist and one is also a cattle rancher, this should work in favor of those who need help.
Two smart ladies.
Doin’ Dusty’s dirty work for him.
Ouch. Larry took a shot across the bow.
Good! Why should my tax dollars pay for someone else’s junk food–which also makes people less healthy. I have to continue to pay full health insurance premiums–health insurance premiums are based on the people in the pool and metrics relating to their health. People who eat trash food, tend to be less healthy and therefore have high premiums.
Petty. Calling out the governor for something he would probably agree with is not the way to work through issues. Obviously more of Dusty’s pawns playing political games.
Unless they’re lying, which is very doubtful, they gave the governors offices the chance to work with them and through the issues. The governors office declined. Telling the truth isn’t petty. It’s just telling the truth.
You’ve decided they’re telling the whole truth without hearing a response from the person they’re attacking? Do you think this is the best way to get things done? Do you think “poor people shouldn’t get to eat cake”?
This is OBVIOUSLY puppet master Dusty pulling strings he’s too coward to do himself. Right after Dusty announced his initiative, day before the Governors budget address…it’s OBVIOUS. I like Dusty, but the political games aren’t helping the people of SD.
oh? is it really OBVIOUS? because capitalizing the letters of the word make it appear so.
Ok Toby, calm down before you get a little too red in the face.
You countered your own argument in back to back sentences. “Dusty pulling the strings he’s too coward to do himself. Right after Dusty announced his initiative…” How is he to coward to do it himself right after he announced it is what he wants to do? Anyone can eat cake. I just don’t think I should have to pay for it. Snap benefits aren’t meant for junk food. They’re meant to feed people who can’t afford to feed themselves. And I’m 100% in favor of that.
And what would the lie be? Do you think they didn’t reach out to the governors office? Do you think the govs office gave different reasons for not wanting to pursue this? Anything they would be lying about would be able to be proven with some form of documentation. Which means there is no reason, or incentive, to lie.
I’m sure they’re working with Dusty. Yes, that is obvious. Or should I say OBVIOUS, so you can understand it. That’s politics. Welcome to the party.
You misunderstood “pulling strings”. Which is -using legislators to attack a political opponent rather than doing it himself. Maybe “coward” was too sharp, but this is at least the second time he’s done it. If Dusty is passionate about the policy, he can draft legislation, work with the governor and the legislature then testify to get it passed. It seems he is more interested in advancing his own political ambitions.
I didn’t say anyone was lying, you keep bringing that up. I asked if you thought that was the “whole truth”. I think it’s more likely Larry would wait until session or get more feedback or build consensus or pursue comprehensive reform rather than declare war on soda a few months before session because two legislators said he should. Maybe he was focused on the prison issue or property taxes at the time. We don’t know. It is silly to wholeheartedly embrace a sitting governor’s position on an issue (one that he probably agrees with) from a political opponent.
There is no need to be condescending. Capitalization is just a simple way to emphasize words through text. And while it is nice of you to “welcome” me to the party, I have been an active republican voter for over 24 years. I have voted for Dusty every single time his name has been on the ballot. I like him, I also like Larry.
You can say “that’s politics”. It’s becoming clear who is a politician and who is a statesman.
…and coming from a person who wants to be Dusty’s LG.
The governor has had months to do this and has refused.
Why would Mr. Rhoden want people on welfare to have their soda and cake and eat it too, using federal money to buy hohos instead of saltines? Asking for my close personal friend Lar.
Refused? How so? I gave during that very short time. Did you?
A return to the Michelle Obama health food in schools program. I used to substitute teacher, and Michelle Obama ended Otis Spunkmeyer cookies in the school lunchroom and school store. She will be glad Trump learned something from her.
And what happened to the lunch accounts? Kids were eating not one meal but 2-3 because they weren’t filling. Garbage cans were fuller than ever.
Wut? Of all the things that never happened, this never happened the most.
Um, yeah. TOTALLY happened. I have friends, neighbors and family that all went through the same thing. Maybe didn’t happen with girls as much but I assure you, more meals were being purchased PER DAY and many of us were in shock as to how we went from ONE meal per day being charged (we pay for a lunch account, no restrictions on how many can be purchased in one day) to TWO or THREE. As for me, we had to contact the school because we thought there was a glitch. No glitch. Then conversations ensued with our child.
Yeah ok. You sound like the REO Speedwagon song…heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another. I’m convinced now!!
I saw it on facebook, that means its true
How much soda is currently being purchased using SNAP funds? What will it cost to complete a waiver and implement this policy? I suspect the consumption is less than people think, and the cost to implement and monitor will be high.
Maybe this can be modeled after Jerry Brown’s ban in California.
after chatting with a woman who works in our local food bank, I resolved not to donate anything that is already prepared. Dried beans and rice, for example.
She told me the people they serve don’t know what to do with raw ingredients, including frozen turkeys. Their clientele only wants MREs.
If people on SNAP want to eat a cake, they should use their food stamps to buy a cake mix and figure out how to follow the directions on the box. If they want to eat cake every week, they should use their snap benefits to buy cake flour, sugar, & soda and make their own damn cake mix.
It’s not surprising we hear stories about how people run out of their SNAP benefits toward the end of the month. It costs a lot of money to buy pre-prepared junk food.
this sounds like the talking points from the big sugar lobby. ‘Don’t let rich people dictate what poor people can eat’ and ‘even poor kids should get a treat from time to time’. That messaging will come heavy during session.
We should mandate cooking classes and provide for community bake centers?
Bring back Home Economics. It was one of the most valuable classes High Schools used to teach.
Imagine despising Dusty so much that you will argue that it’s a solid and sustainable idea that tax payer funded food stamps should pay for Pepsi’s, Sour Patch Kids, and Pringles…….What is happening?
grudznick wonders who gets to judge if Pringles are “food” or “junk food”, or if gravy taters are unhealthy, or if eating those dip-n-dot things the young people enjoy is food or snacks, or if a vanilla wafer is a cracker or a cookie.
It is good Mr. Dusty is all up in this. His snack police will fix much.