Do you know what Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia all have in common? Yes, they're blue or blue-ish states, but they're also using your tax dollars to send those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits out for a night on the town. According to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), approximately $250 million worth of SNAP benefits is spent at restaurants, mostly fast food joints, each year in those states.
When SNAP was first established in 1964, the goal was for those who couldn't afford it to buy basics: meat, fruit, vegetables, etc., that one could cook at home. Hot food or food already ready to consume was not eligible. However, according to Ernst's office, a 1977 loophole allowed states to opt into something called the Restaurant Meals Program.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, the program "is a state option to allow certain SNAP clients, who might not be able to prepare meals for themselves or who do not have permanent housing for storing and preparing food, to be able to buy prepared meals at restaurants with their SNAP benefits." In other words, it was designed with homeless people in mind. Eventually, the disabled and elderly were also added, along with the spouses of eligible SNAP recipients.
Restaurants must sign an agreement to be included on the list, and then they must be approved by the USDA. Ernst says it started with just a few eateries, but the number has grown due to the states and restaurants taking advantage of the program. She pointed specifically to California under the Joe Biden administration. In 2021, she says that California allowed 5,800 restaurants, like McDonald's, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Jack in the Box, to accept CalFresh benefits via SNAP.
"McSCUSE ME? The "N" in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries," the senator posted on X, along with a link to the Fox News article about the situation.
🚨Blue states are abusing SNAP to allow $250 million per year to be spent at restaurants, mostly fast food.
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 20, 2025
McSCUSE ME? The "N" in SNAP stands for nutrition not nuggets with a side of fries.🍟
I am stopping this abuse because taxpayers are not lovin' it.https://t.co/qx33LmAn1X
Ernst's office found that from June 2023 to May 2025, more than $475 million in taxpayer dollars funded Restaurant Meals Program meals at fast-food establishments. During that same time period, $524 million in taxpayer funds were spent through the Restaurant Meals Program overall, meaning California accounted for more than 90% of the nation's total Restaurant Meals Program funds from June 2023 to May 2025, according to the office...
The data found that between June 2023 and May 2025 $41.4 million funds went through Restaurant Meals Program in Arizona, $3.6 million in New York, $1.3 million in Michigan, $995,900 in Rhode Island, $649,000 in Massachusetts, $479,000 in Illinois, $308,500 in Virginia and $8,600 in Maryland.
Ernst is seeking to stop the loophole with the McSCUSE ME Act, which she introduced on Thursday. The bill would limit the types of vendors SNAP recipients in those states can access, redirecting them to retail grocery stores that serve some ready-made and hot food rather than restaurants. It also removes eligibility for SNAP users' spouses.
"Fast food franchises are feasting on the taxpayers’ dime," Ernst told The Federalist. "This McFlurry of abuse cannot be allowed to continue as America’s national debt soars past $38 trillion. It’s time to think outside the bun and restore the SNAP program to its original mission by delivering healthy, instead of happy, meals."
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