Drinks giants Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Keurig Dr Pepper are pushing to keep their products eligible for purchase by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as prominent Republicans eye banning unhealthy drinks and snacks for food stamp recipients.

Several prominent Republicans, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. -- President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for the top job at the Health and Human Services Department -- are calling for a ban on purchasing unhealthy food items using taxpayer funded food benefits.

Some 42.1 million Americans -- 12.6 percent of the population -- received SNAP benefits in the 2023 fiscal year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is the largest food assistance program in the country, and is funded by the federal government, although administration falls to individual states.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola and its main competitors have lobbyists advocating on Capitol Hill arguing that their products should remain eligible for purchase using food stamp benefits. Citing the wide availability of zero-sugar or diet products as well as clear calorie labeling, consumers are able to make informed healthier choices about what they purchase.

Lobbyists for the soda companies are also trying to get in front of people close to Kennedy and Brooke Rollins, Trump's nominee to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which funds the administration of SNAP benefits. Kennedy signaled his interest in restricting SNAP purchases in a September Wall Street Journal op-ed saying that it is "nonsensical for U.S. taxpayers to spend tens of billions of dollars subsidizing junk that harms the health of low-income Americans."

When asked to verify if the lobbying claims are true, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola told Newsweek that the company is "always active in engaging on policies important to our business and our consumers." Newsweek has also contacted PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper for comment via email.

According to a factsheet produced by the American Beverage Association, a government lobbying group, nearly 60 percent of all drinks sold in the U.S. do not contain any sugar.

"While adult obesity is up 37.4 percent since 2000, full-calorie soda sales are down 22.9 percent and beverage calories per serving are down 42 percent," the factsheet reads. "If the two were connected, obesity rates should have decreased with the decline in soda consumption."

Restricting SNAP benefits to only healthy foods has been a sticking point for some Republicans in recent years. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her intention to seek a waiver for her state from the USDA to restrict unhealthy purchases, which she said would steer families using SNAP away from foods that cause "obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and a wide range of chronic health conditions."

There have also been concerns raised regarding the cost of the program. Missouri Representative Mark Alford said earlier this year the program is costing too much and is not helping with providing healthier lifestyles for its recipients. Vivek Ramaswamy, who will head up the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump, has said that $1 billion is wasted on SNAP benefits every month due to overpayments and fraud.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in a December 11 letter to RFK Jr. and USDA Secretary-Designate, Brooke Rollins: "Unfortunately, this 'Nutrition Assistance' program is undermining the health of millions of Americans, on the taxpayer's dime, by encouraging families to eat highly processed, unhealthy junk food.

"As someone who believes in the Trump Administration's unifying, aspirational vision for the future, the time has come to support American farmers and end taxpayer-funded junk food."

Speaking on Fox Business, West Virginia Republican Congressman-elect Riley Moore: "It doesn't make any sense for us to allow people on SNAP benefits to purchase these types of items that are just going to make them more unhealthy."

American Beverage Association: "We believe Americans know best how to choose a beverage that best fits their day. America's beverage companies are working together to offer more choices with less sugar."

It remains to be seen what progress will be made toward restricting SNAP purchases under the incoming Trump administration. Kennedy is also not yet confirmed as the head of the DHHS, with his confirmation subject to being agreed by Congress in January.