In today’s hyper-partisan Congress, there is at least one thing that can quickly bring Democrats and Republicans to the same table: rotisserie chicken.
A bipartisan group of senators introduced the “Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act” this week, a bill that would allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants to purchase the hot, spinning poultry with food stamps.
Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Jim Justice (R-WV), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) brought forward the proposal in the Senate, while Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) is sponsoring the proposal in the House. Justice called the rotisserie chicken bill “truly just common sense.”
“It’s as basic as you can get to help busy parents or grandparents put something as simple as this on the table to feed their families,” Justice said. “We have to give people the option to put a healthy, protein-dense choice on the table that actually tastes good and doesn’t take an hour and a half to cook.”
The Trump administration’s new dietary guidelines emphasize prioritizing protein-rich foods, including poultry, during each meal. The real food-based guidelines, championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, also serve as a road map for what states can support with SNAP funds, according to the guidelines website.
Kennedy’s new food pyramid also depicts a chicken at the top of an image representing his department’s ranking of foods.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) voiced support for the act on Thursday.
“Hot take: putting hot rotisserie chicken on food stamps is common sense,” Sanders wrote on X. “Arkansas took items like candy and soft drinks off SNAP. Now let’s put healthy, affordable options like hot rotisserie chicken on.”
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SNAP benefits already cover chicken varieties such as cutlets, nuggets, or cold, uncooked chicken, but the lawmakers are framing rotisserie chicken as an easy option for a “quick, nutritious meal,” as Bennet put it.
“America’s best (and delicious) affordability play is Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken,” Fetterman said. “It’s one of my family’s favorites and I’m proud to join this bill with Senator Justice for all to try. SNAP funds would be well spent to feed our nation’s families who need it.”
