Should taxpayers be buying Coca-Cola? Brandon Gill asks a SNAP advocate a simple question, then follows the money

Food stamp advocate SELF-DESTRUCTS as Rep. Brandon Gill presses her on why taxpayers pay for Coca-Cola.

She tries to dodge the question. Then Gill pulls out the receipts, and she sits there in stunned silence.

GILL: “Should SNAP dollars be spent on sodas?”

WITNESS: “I am happy to talk about hunger and nutrition, but not dictate what Americans should or should not eat or may have access to.”

GILL: “I’m asking if tax dollars should be used to pay for sodas.”

“Do they need sugary sodas to survive?”

WITNESS: “Some of them do…”

GILL: “You think they need Coca-Cola to survive?”

“I’m giving you the opportunity to say yes or no.”

WITNESS: “I will not answer for individuals and their… choices.”

GILL: “What does SNAP stand for?”

WITNESS: “It’s a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”

GILL: “What’s nutritional about Coca-Cola?”

WITNESS: “I am not a nutritionist.”

Then Gill asks who’s paying her, and she freezes like a deer in headlights.

GILL: “Is your organization funded by organizations that make money from food stamps?”

[awkward silence]

GILL: “Do organizations who profit off of food stamps fund your organization or businesses?”

WITNESS: “I mean, in the, in the, I, I can’t comment to that.”

GILL: “Does General Mills fund your organization?”

WITNESS: “I don’t have access to that information.”

GILL: “I do. It’s right here. They do fund your organization. […] Yes, and they’re profiting off of your advocacy. Do you think that that’s a conflict of interest?”

[more silence]

GILL: “I think most people think that’s a conflict of interest. I know you don’t want to answer.”

Always follow the money.

CONTEXT: USDA’s own study found soft drinks were the #1 purchase in SNAP households, beating milk, ground beef, and everything else in the store.

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