In a letter to congressional leaders, the mayors of 18 cities are pushing against letting food stamps be used to buy soda and other sugary drinks. The mayors say it's "time to test and evaluate approaches limiting" the use of the subsidies for sugar-laden beverages in order to help fight the obesity crisis. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said:
"We need to find ways to strengthen the program and promote good nutrition while limiting the use of these resources for items with no nutritional value, like sugary drinks, that are actually harming the health of participants. Why should we continue supporting unhealthy purchases in the false name of nutrition assistance?"