Proposed SC budget says Gov. Nikki Haley and staff can’t buy junk food with public money

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Lawmakers in South Carolina are trying to keep junk food out of the governor’s mansion.

State senators inserted a clause in the 2013-14 budget plan that would bar Gov. Nikki Haley’s office and the Governor’s Mansion from buying junk food with public money, whether for employee treats or entertaining. The move was a response to state efforts to fight obesity by limiting what people can buy with money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, known more commonly as food stamps.

Those efforts need federal approval before being implemented.

Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson of Columbia pushed for the provision. He says it’s only fair for Haley to implement with her staff the healthy purchasing she’s promoting for poor people.

Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey says Jackson is playing political games with a serious health epidemic.