Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grills Food Research & Action Center Director of SNAP Policy and Advocacy Gina Plata-NinoRep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) on Thursday eviscerated the Democratic witness at a DOGE Subcommittee hearing, Gina Plata-Nino, on the abuse of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to buy unhealthy foods and sugary sodas. During a House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee hearing titled “Combating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in SNAP,” the Texas Republican asked one simple question: “Should SNAP dollars be spent on sodas?”Plata-Nino is the Director of SNAP Policy and Advocacy at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a so-called “anti-hunger” advocacy organization, and she couldn’t even answer the question.After initially refusing to, in her words, “dictate what Americans should or should not eat or may have access to,” the free food and soda advocate suggested that people need soda “to survive.” When asked to clarify, she said “some of them do,” claiming that people with low blood sugar or kidney issues need to drink soda.“Is that right? You think they need Coca-Cola to survive? Do you think that’s the most appropriate use of our tax dollars?” Gill fired back. She went on to claim that “in some circumstances they do,” citing “medical records and expertise.”Then she denied saying that Americans need Coca-Cola to survive, before adding, “I will not answer for individuals and their choices.”Asked if sugary sodas have nutritional benefits, she claimed, “I am not an expert. I would have to look at the dietary guidelines.” Gill responded, “I don’t think that there’s nutritional value to sugary sodas. I think most people in this room would agree with that assessment. But you have no opinion?” But she refused to answer, stating, “I’m here to talk about the food needs and the hunger crisis that individuals here in America are facing.” She even went on to claim that there’s “no data proving” that soda does not make the American people healthier, after Gill ripped her for being “so ideologically dug in” that she can’t answer a simple question about soda’s nutritional value.After a back-and-forth over the necessity of sugary sodas being paid for by tax dollars, where Plata-Nino repeatedly claimed that soda is one of “food resources” that people “need,” Gill then pivoted, asking if soda companies and other companies that profit from SNAP benefits are funding the Food Research & Action Center.“Is your organization funded by organizations that make money from food stamps?” Gill asked, receiving no response. After six seconds of dead silence from Plata-Nino, Gill asked again, “Do organizations that profit from food stamps fund your organization, or businesses?”Though she claimed she had no knowledge of or access to the funding data, Gill brought the receipts, showing that General Mills, the manufacturer of over 100 brands, ranging from high-sugar processed cereals to snacks to desserts and pastries. Still, she claimed that “Retailers are the major beneficiaries,” as if the companies supplying grocery stores don’t profit from sales.Asked if there was a conflict of interest, she let six seconds of deafening silence fill the room, refusing to answer again.WATCH:!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/u2vbt6g"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");Rumble("play", {"video":"v79myog","div":"rumble_v79myog"});Transcript:Gill: Should SNAP dollars be spent on sodas?Plata-Nino: The purpose of the SNAP program is to provide families to have food and beverages.Gill: Should it be spent on sugary sodas?Plata-Nino: 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.Plata-Nino: Taxpayers’ money should be utilized to ensure that individuals have access to the food that they need to survive or may be accessible to them.Gill: Do they need sugary sodas to survive?Plata-Nino: Some of them do, who do have low blood issues, who may have kidney issues.Gill: Is that right? You think they need Coca-Cola to survive? Do you think that’s the most appropriate use of our tax dollars?Plata-Nino: I am not a physician, but medical records and expertise do show that in some circumstances they do.Gill: You were just citing the health needs, apparently, of the American people. So do the American people need Coca-Cola to survive?Plata-Nino: I did not say that.Gill: I’m asking you. I’m giving you the opportunity to say yes or no.Plata-Nino: I will not answer for individuals and their choices.Gill: You think that there are some Americans who need Coca-Cola to survive? Is that your testimony?Plata-Nino: I am happy to talk about the food and nutrition needs that individuals have.Gill: You just don’t know? You just don’t know. I think most people can rationally say that you don’t need Coca-Cola to survive. Wouldn’t you agree?Plata-Nino: I agree that we have a hunger crisis and that we need to address it by ensuring that individuals have the food resources that they need.Gill: Got it. And one of those is sugary Coca-Cola. What does SNAP stand for?Plata-Nino: It’s the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.Gill: What’s nutritional about Coca-Cola?Plata-Nino: I am not a nutritionist. I am a food-security expert in ensuring that individuals have the food resources that they need.Gill: This is a common-sense question. All of these have been common-sense questions. I’m just asking you, is there nutritional value to sugary sodas? It’s a yes-or-no question.Plata-Nino: I am not an expert. I would have to look at the dietary guidelines.Gill: You’re not an expert. I don’t think that there’s nutritional value to sugary sodas. I think most people in this room would agree with that assessment. But you have no opinion?Plata-Nino: I’m here to talk about the food needs and the hunger crisis that individuals here in America are facing.Gill: Are you that ideologically dug in that you want our taxpayers paying for sugary sodas, that you will not, in a straightforward way, admit that sugary sodas are not helpful for the American people?Plata-Nino: I think that focusing on soda when people are going hungry is an issue.Gill: We spend a lot of our — a lot of our tax dollars are spent on soda. That’s why I’m asking about it. And you appear to be so ideologically dug in that you won’t answer a simple question that that’s not an appropriate use of our tax dollars and that that does not, in fact, make the American people more healthy.Plata-Nino: I won’t answer because there’s no data sort of proving that.Gill: Do you need data to determine whether drinking soda is healthy? I’m sorry. It’s a serious question. Is there some– do you believe that perhaps drinking sodas every day is healthy?Plata-Nino: The worst health outcome is hunger when individuals don’t have the resources —Gill: Do you satiate hunger with Coca-Cola?Plata-Nino: I did not say that.Gill: But you said that the worst health outcome is hunger, and I’m asking you about sugary sodas.Plata-Nino: And I’m focusing on the nutrition needs and making sure that children have the resources they need.Gill: Is your organization funded by soft-drink makers?Plata-Nino: I am not in charge of development, but no.Gill: It’s not, ok. Is your organization funded by organizations that make money from food stamps? Do organizations that profit from food stamps fund your organization, or businesses?Plata-Nino: I mean, in the, in the — I can’t comment to that. Happy to talk about the resources needed.Gill: Does General Mills fund your organization?Plata-Nino: I don’t have access to that information.Gill: I do. It’s right here. They do fund your organization. Do they profit off of food stamps?Plata-Nino: Retailers are the major beneficiaries.Gill: Do you think that that’s a conflict of interest?Plata-Nino: That’s where EBT dollars are utilized.Gill: Yes, and they’re profiting off of your advocacy. Do you think that that’s a conflict of interest? I think most people think that’s a conflict of interest. I know you don’t want to answer. My time is up.The post WATCH: Rep. Brandon Gill DESTROYS Liberal “Anti-Hunger” Advocate During SNAP Abuse Hearing, Leaves Her Spinning After Asking if SNAP Should be Spent on Sugary Soda appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.