Meet the Florida group chipping away at public benefits one state at a time

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5818x3825+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2F7a%2F1264b3ed4faa99630a2485f11733%2Fgettyimages-2199132362.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5818x3825+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F47%2F7a%2F1264b3ed4faa99630a2485f11733%2Fgettyimages-2199132362.jpg" class="img" alt="Stewart Whitson, wearing a suit and tie, shakes the hand of a lawmaker in a congressional hearing room. " fetchpriority="high"/> Stewart Whitson, a senior director on the Basis for Authorities Accountability, testified earlier than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's DOGE subcommittee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12. The listening to was titled "The Conflict on Waste." Al Drago/Getty Photographs disguise caption

toggle caption

Al Drago/Getty Photographs PHOENIX — As an Arizona invoice to dam folks from utilizing authorities support to purchase soda headed to the governor's desk in April, the nation's high well being official joined Arizona lawmakers within the state Capitol to have fun its passage.

Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated to applause that the laws was simply the beginning and that he needed to stop federal funding from paying for different unhealthy meals.

"We're not going to try this in a single day," Kennedy stated. "We will do this within the subsequent 4 years."

These phrases of warning proved prescient when Arizona's Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, vetoed the invoice every week later. Nonetheless, state laws to limit what low-income folks can purchase utilizing Supplemental Diet Help Program advantages is gaining momentum, boosted by Kennedy's touting it as a part of his "Make America Wholesome Once more" platform. At the very least 14 states have thought of payments this 12 months with related SNAP restrictions on particular unhealthy meals corresponding to sweet, with Idaho and Utah passing such laws as of mid-April.

Wholesome meals itself is not largely a partisan problem, and those that research diet are likely to agree that lowering the quantity of sugary meals folks eat is a good suggestion to keep away from well being penalties corresponding to coronary heart illness. However the query over the federal government's function in deciding who can purchase what has grow to be political.

The group largely behind SNAP restriction laws is the Basis for Authorities Accountability, a conservative coverage suppose tank in Florida, and its affiliated lobbying arm, which has used the title Alternative Options Venture.

FGA has labored for greater than a decade to reshape the nation's public help applications. That features SNAP, previously referred to as meals stamps, which federal knowledge exhibits helps a median of 42 million folks afford meals every month. It additionally advocates for methods to chop Medicaid, the federal-state program that connects 71 million folks to backed well being care, together with efforts in Idaho and Montana this 12 months.

FGA's proposals typically search to restrict who faucets into that support and the assistance they obtain. These backing the group's mission say the aim is to avoid wasting tax {dollars} and assist folks raise themselves out of poverty. Critics argue that FGA's proposals are a backdoor option to reduce off support to individuals who want it and that making wholesome meals and well being care extra reasonably priced is a greater repair.

Now, FGA sees extra room for change below the Trump administration and the Kennedy-led well being division, calling 2025 a "window of alternative for main reform," in accordance with its newest annual report.

Because the Arizona veto exhibits, alternative is not a assure of success, reflecting the FGA's historical past of coverage hits and misses.

A imaginative and prescient for limiting authorities advantages Tarren Bragdon, a former Maine legislator, based FGA in 2011 to advertise insurance policies to "free thousands and thousands from authorities dependency and open the doorways for them to chase their very own American Dream," he stated in an announcement on FGA's web site. The primary basis began out as a workers of three with about $60,000 within the financial institution. As of 2023, it had a price range of greater than $15 million and a workforce of roughly 64, in accordance with the newest obtainable tax paperwork, and that is not counting the lobbying arm.

The inspiration acquired early funding from a grant from the State Coverage Community, which has lengthy backed right-leaning suppose tanks with ties to conservative activists together with brothers Charles and David Koch.

FGA declined a number of interview requests for this text.

In recent times, the nonprofit helped draft a 2017 Mississippi regulation, the Jackson Free Press discovered, which intensified eligibility checks for public support that made it harder for some candidates to qualify. It efficiently pushed a 2023 effort in Idaho to impose work necessities for meals advantages that well being care advocates stated led some recipients to lose entry.

The identical 12 months, the group helped go SNAP restrictions affecting eligibility in Iowa. Since these restrictions have taken impact, the Meals Financial institution of Iowa has seen a document variety of folks present up at its pantries amid rising grocery costs and a scaling again of COVID pandemic-era federal assist, stated Annette Hacker, a vice chairman on the nonprofit.

A part of the group's technique is to go laws state by state, with the concept that the crush of recent legal guidelines will improve strain on the federal authorities. For instance, states cannot restrict what meals is bought by means of SNAP with out federal approval by means of a waiver course of. And previously, a few of FGA's efforts have stalled as a result of states by no means acquired that approval.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4920x3280+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F45%2Fff%2F6e1798174bbca294a1d8f27864a1%2Fap25098751619911.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4920x3280+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F45%2Fff%2F6e1798174bbca294a1d8f27864a1%2Fap25098751619911.jpg" class="img" alt="U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pictured beneath a large sign that reads "Food Distribution."" loading="lazy"/> U.S. Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. excursions a meals financial institution in Mesa, Ariz., on April 8, 2025. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a regulation backed by Kennedy and FGA to maintain SNAP advantages from being spent on soda. Ross D. Franklin/AP disguise caption

toggle caption

Ross D. Franklin/AP Kennedy's agenda now echoes a few of FGA's key messages, and he has stated states can count on approval of their waivers. In the meantime, congressional leaders are eyeing nationwide Medicaid cuts and work necessities, which FGA considers amongst its main points. The inspiration additionally has a connection working contained in the administration: Its former coverage director, Sam Adolphsen, was tapped to advise President Donald Trump on home issues.

"We're excited to struggle from Topeka to Washington, D.C., versus Washington, D.C., to Topeka," Roy Lenardson, FGA's state authorities affairs director, informed Kansas lawmakers in February when testifying in assist of SNAP laws there.

Shaping state insurance policies Within the states, FGA has grow to be referred to as a conservative "thought chief," stated Brian Colby, vice chairman of public coverage for Missouri Price range Venture, a progressive nonprofit that gives evaluation of state coverage points.

"Conservatives used to attempt to chop away on the federal price range," Colby stated. "These guys are doing it on the state stage."

In its 14 years, FGA has created a playbook to form state coverage discussions about public advantages behind the scenes. In Montana, retired Republican state legislator Cary Smith, who labored with FGA, stated not all the suppose tank's concepts break up alongside celebration traces.

"They provide a buffet of choices," he stated. "Their agenda is making authorities accountable; it is within the title."

He stated apart from drafting laws, FGA gives speaking factors and knowledge to assist policymakers assist their arguments.

"They might go in and would say, 'That is what Medicaid fraud is costing us,'" Smith stated. "That will be the quantity you'd need to use in your invoice."

In January, FGA launched a memo for states to "cease taxpayer-funded junk meals." In February, Stateline reported that Wyoming Republican state Rep. Jacob Wasserburger stated the group requested him to sponsor a SNAP restriction invoice. The state sponsor of comparable laws in Missouri has repeated not less than considered one of FGA's speaking factors, as reported by the Missouri Impartial. In Arizona, Republican Rep. Leo Biasiucci, who sponsored the SNAP laws there, informed KFF Well being Information FGA was behind that invoice as nicely.

Opponents of such payments argue the proposals aren't so simple as they sound. Amid debate on a SNAP invoice in Montana, Kiera Condon, with the Montana Meals Financial institution Community, testified that the laws would pressure grocery retailer staff to kind by means of what counts as soda or sweet, "which may lead to retailers not taking part in SNAP in any respect." State lawmakers tabled the Montana invoice in April.

Montana legislators additionally simply handed a invoice to increase the state's Medicaid growth program even after FGA started publishing a collection of papers that asserted this system was "breaking" Montana's price range. FGA had offered knowledge saying most Montanans on this system do not work, which state knowledge refutes.

Ed Bolen, who leads meals support methods on the left-leaning Heart on Price range and Coverage Priorities suppose tank, stated FGA has a sample of proposing technical adjustments to current legal guidelines and "unworkable work necessities" that trigger folks to lose advantages.

The Kansas instance After working with policymakers in Kansas for a decade, FGA helped go laws that restricted how lengthy folks can entry money help, added work necessities to SNAP, and banned the state from spending federal or state funds to advertise public support. A lot of these adjustments got here by means of 2015 laws referred to as the "HOPE Act" drafted by FGA, The Washington Put up reported.

Evaluation from Kansas Appleseed, an advocacy group for low-income Kansans, discovered the SNAP caseload sharply declined after the invoice was enacted due to the brand new hurdles, dropping from 140,000 households in January 2014 to 90,000 as of January 2020.

"It is loss of life by a thousand cuts," stated Karen Siebert, an adviser for Harvesters, a group meals financial institution community in Kansas and Missouri. "A few of these FGA proposals are such advanced insurance policies, it is exhausting to argue in opposition to and to clarify the ripple results."

In 2024, the inspiration produced greater than two dozen movies that includes state politicians from throughout the nation touting the group's objectives and dozens of analysis papers arguing public advantages are wrecking state budgets. FGA additionally has its personal polling workforce to provide knowledge out of the states it is working to affect.

The group launched an inventory of 14 states it labeled as "redder and higher" locations to exert extra affect. That included Idaho, the place the group has 4 registered lobbyists within the state Capitol.

In 2023, FGA helped current and efficiently foyer for laws there to require folks receiving meals support to work not less than 80 hours a month. The group referred to as the ensuing regulation "landmark welfare reform" years within the making.

And this 12 months, Idaho lawmakers handed extra necessities for folks enrolled in Medicaid who can work. FGA staffers labored with one of many co-sponsors of the laws on an analogous invoice final 12 months that failed, then once more this 12 months. A compromise invoice handed with FGA's backing, marking one other victory for the inspiration.

David Lehman, a lobbyist for the Idaho Affiliation of Group Suppliers, which represents well being organizations which have opposed FGA payments, stated Idaho illustrates how FGA works with sympathetic lawmakers in conservative states to realize extra floor.

"They're pushing an already rolling rock downhill," he stated.

KFF Well being Information is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is without doubt one of the core working applications at KFF — the impartial supply for well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism.