HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to see changes to the foods available for SNAP recipients.

Rep. Alec Ryncavage (R-Luzerne) introduced a co-sponsorship memo Wednesday for a proposed Healthy SNAP Act. If enacted, it would exclude candy and soft drinks from SNAP-eligible items in the Commonwealth.

“The program is designed to help low-income families put healthy food on the table, not to subsidize junk food,” Ryncavage said in the memo to lawmakers.

He cited a 2016 U.S. Department of Agriculture report that showed SNAP households spend approximately 20 cents of every dollar on sugary beverages, salty snacks, candy and desserts.

The program, which is run by USDA and administered on the state level, currently provides “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except for alcohol, tobacco, hot foods and personal care items. Excluding additional foods would require Congress to change the law or for states to receive a waver from the department.

The bill would direct the PA Department of Human Services to seek a federal waiver.

Until now, no such requests had been approved by either Republican or Democratic presidents. But U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins signed waivers for six states since taking her position this year.

President Donald trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both pushed for banning junk food from SNAP.

“Each waiver submitted by the states and signed is yet another step closer to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again,” Rollins said in a press release earlier this month.

Ryncavage said it’s common sense to ensure public assistance programs encourage better nutritional choices during a time of rising obesity, diabetes and other preventable conditions in the country.

Critics of SNAP restrictions said it’s an admirable goal, but warn it won’t make America healthier.

“Americans at all income levels have diets that don’t satisfy federal dietary guidelines,” said Daniel Krobath, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, in a report on SNAP benefits. “Spotlighting the poor food choices of SNAP participants would be a distraction from these facts and would risk further stigmatizing a successful anti-hunger program.”