(NewsNation) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Thursday aimed at reshaping the state’s approach to public health and nutrition, while launching the “Make Oklahoma Healthy Again” campaign.
The order, signed at a news conference alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., includes directives for the Oklahoma Department of Health Services to seek approval to restrict certain food purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“I want to be top 10 in everything we do, and that is also healthy families in the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt said. “Our tax dollars are not going to continue to fund foods that are making people sick.”
The order follows the state’s submission of a waiver request to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, seeking to remove “soda, candy, and confectionery items” from the list of SNAP-eligible purchases.
Under the order, Oklahoma DHS will also stop recommending fluoride be added to public drinking water, though Stitt said that local water districts may still choose to do so independently.
‘10% of SNAP waivers got to soda’: Kennedy
Kennedy echoed the governor’s stance, citing data that suggests 10% of SNAP purchases are spent on soda.
“We’re paying for it at the front end by buying soda for the poorest Americans,” he said. “Then, paying again on the back end through Medicaid and Medicare costs related to diabetes.”
Kennedy and Stitt emphasized that the goal is not to ban soda or candy, but to prevent their purchase through taxpayer-funded programs and encourage healthier habits among families who rely on public assistance.
Stitt said the state will work with the USDA to promote healthy eating for families on SNAP benefits.
Oklahoma among the least healthy states
The Oklahoma campaign’s name is an echo of Kennedy’s nationwide push to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Kennedy’s visit comes days after his overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel drew scrutiny from lawmakers on Tuesday during a tense hearing, in which lawmakers grilled him on transparency and process.
Oklahoma currently ranks among the least healthy states in the nation. It ranks in the bottom five in nearly all the 2024 America’s Health Rankings main measures of health, including social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes.