The Biden administration has once again added to taxpayer burden, this time by increasing food stamp benefits before making much-needed changes to the system.

For example, I once overheard a man getting gas at the pump next to me tell his friend he had fulfilled his job search requirements by applying for jobs he wouldn’t get and was now getting free gas from groceries he paid for with his Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, card. While there are those in need, the abusers have to go.

Another problem is the “food” these people are allowed to purchase with their SNAP cards (the keyword is “nutrition”). The list on the website is healthy, except for one thing: “Other foods such as snack foods and nonalcoholic beverages.”

How many times have you seen someone with a cart full of soda pop, potato chips, frozen pizza and cookies pay using a SNAP card? These contribute to a big problem in the United States, which ranks 10th in the world for obesity.

Junk food should not be included in a government program that’s supposed to supply nutritious food to the needy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website guidelines on obesity state: “To reverse the obesity epidemic, places and practices need to support healthy eating and active living in many settings.” Why are those guidelines not heeded?

Lastly, SNAP recipients may also visit their local food pantry. All one has to do is sign up and meet the requirements and they will be provided with enough food to supplement their benefits. So why was the increase needed before the reform?

What they should have done is remove junk foods and beverages from the list, require SNAP recipients to take classes on healthy eating on a budget and weed out abusers, therefore making more money available to those that truly need it.

But what do they care? They’re not the ones footing the bill.