The holidays may be a time for relaxing and unwinding, but with a new Presidential administration vowing to come in hot next month, lobbyists are in crunch mode. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Coke, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) are exercising the full strength of their lobbying power to block Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from fulfilling his promise to remove soda and other sugary drinks from the list of approved products for purchase via SNAP benefits (aka food stamps). Coke in particular is hiring more lobbyists, with an eye towards groups who have close relationships with Donald Trump, and the Big Three are also trying to get the ear of people close to RFK and Agriculture Department nominee Brooke Rollins, who would oversee SNAP benefits if confirmed. When approached by Newsweek, Coke opted to neither confirm nor deny that they’re hoping to influence the incoming administration, stating only that they’re “always active in engaging on policies important to our business and our consumers.” There does appear to be a bit of tug and pull about what to do on health initiatives and soda among Republican leaders. While some representatives have come out against the health initiative, others have throttled forward. Last year, Sen. Marco Rubio (Trump’s proposed Secretary of State) cosponsored a bill to remove soda and other sugary foods from SNAP eligibility, and just this month Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders advocated for removing soda from SNAP in a push to end “taxpayer-funded junk food.” On Dec. 11, industry group American Beverage urged Sanders to rethink her position: “If President-elect Trump and his administration decide to look at the SNAP program, we ask for the opportunity to work with him to make the program stronger and ensure it works for Americans and their families." The group is also planning to donate to Trump’s inauguration, the Journal reported. | 
