Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced sweeping restrictions on welfare spending Monday, becoming the first state to prohibit taxpayer-funded benefits from purchasing tattoos, tobacco products, theme park tickets, and other non-essential items.
New Restrictions Target Luxury Items
The reforms target Florida’s Temporary Cash Assistance program, which provides roughly $250 monthly to needy families with children under 19. DeSantis is working directly with the Trump administration to amend the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families plan. Once implemented, recipients will no longer be able to use their EBT cards for tobacco, nicotine and vaping products, pornography, video games, entertainment tickets, spa services, tanning, psychic services, and fortune-telling.
The governor’s office emphasized the changes will not reduce assistance amounts for eligible families. Instead, the reforms aim to ensure benefits support basic necessities like groceries, clothing, and medicine. Adults receiving TCA benefits are already limited to 48 months of cash assistance over their lifetime.
Building on Existing Protections
Florida already prohibits welfare EBT cards from being used at casinos, adult entertainment venues, and for alcohol purchases. DeSantis’s expansion adds dozens of new restricted categories at eligible retailers. Interim Secretary for the Florida Department of Children and Families Kate Williams said the state is currently amending its TANF plan before submitting formal requests to Washington. Implementation timelines will be communicated to retailers and recipients once federal approval is secured.
What This Means
The announcement positions DeSantis, widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, as a leader on welfare reform and government accountability. He framed the restrictions as protecting taxpayers while supporting families who genuinely need assistance. The governor stated that taxpayer-funded benefits should help families overcome barriers to independence, not fund luxury services or entertainment. State officials characterized the reforms as anti-fraud measures designed to improve transparency and ensure welfare programs operate as intended by Congress and taxpayers.
Sources
Washington Examiner: DeSantis cuts tattoos, tanning beds, and tobacco from welfare benefits list
It’s about time!
Seriously?!? These items were NOT already restricted from purchasing?? I’m at a loss.
Amen!!!!
Exactly!! Some people just love to do nothing so they can pretend they did something!
These things never should have been available for purchase with taxpayer funds in the first place. It finally time a governor takes charge and limits the use of these cards.
Relax! They NEVER were! This is political theater. Nothing more, nothing less!
All this free money is getting ridiculous! Emphasis should be on these dead beat baby daddies paying their share. Iam sick of this stuff. Iam 76 years old had to go back to work so I could pay my bills. Tried to get assistance but could not because I worked hard bought and paid off my mortgage so couldn’t qualify! Now is that fair! Hell no! Government needs to change and fast.
Do you think $250 a month is a lot more money than the billions of dollars that that Trump has been giving to his family, friends and billionaires. You Magas are using the struggling poor as scape goats. DeSantis has been trying to be accepted as white for a long time without any success. It is all political theatre. He has has always tried to please Trump and to be as wicked as Trump or even worse than Trump. He enjoys been wicked and thinks that will qualify him to become President. DeSantis is not Presidential material. Voters are finally waking up and seeing all the lies they have been told before. I believe DeSantis thinks he punishing the black population in Florida. Florida is going to right its mistakes and turn blue.
ten thumbs up, hope it spreads across the Country
We are all tired of supporting illegals, criminals and welfare cheats, time for them to get kicked out of the country and time for these agencies issuing welfare to them to either clean up their staff and regulations or fire the people and get competant employees.
Do you think $250 a month is a lot more money than the billions of dollars that that Trump has been giving to his family, friends and billionaires. You Magas are using the struggling poor as scape goats. DeSantis has been trying to be accepted as white for a long time without any success. It is all political theatre. He has has always tried to please Trump and to be as wicked as Trump or even worse than Trump. He enjoys been wicked and thinks that will qualify him to become President. DeSantis is not Presidential material. Voters are finally waking up and seeing all the lies they have been told before. I believe DeSantis thinks he punishing the black population in Florida. Florida is going to right its mistakes and turn blue.
This story needs the widest possible national attention. I can’t believe people were allowed to abuse the system this way. Absolutely appalling.
It’s about time!!!
He is such a great Governor!
I remember when a Washington government official stated on an interview when asked how many entities are receiving government money and his response was nobody knows. There are thousands I would imagine that receive money and have zero accountability. So none of this surprises me. Even more so is the fact that not one administration has even tried to look into it seriously. Trump administration developed doge and its helping a little. I don’t know if it will ever be resolved. Imagine, if you can, the amount of taxpayer money that is gone forever. Tens of trillions I imagine being the case. Run for office as a pauper and you will be a millionaire in no time. Corruption must stopped in any manner necessary.
He should make a website easily accessable to report known abusers of the tax payers money. People want to report but nobody wants to be known as the witness.
Everybody gets your money but you. When politicians aren’t wasting it , they’re stealing it. Lazy ass people get and waste it. Illegal aliens and foreign countries get it. Everybody but you gets your money.
Makes me sick and pissed off.
I had no idea welfare money was being used for these frivolities. Outrageous fraud! This needs to be nationalized ASAP.
That’s great, it’s about time the government cracks down on freeloaders using tax dollars to do the things they want with no sanctions in place. Now maybe they’ll go out and get a job. Panhandlers standing on the streets need to be cracked down on too. If you think they’re needy then look at the new shoes a lot of them are wearing and the dogs on a leash with them. If you can’t affeord to live and have to panhandle then what are you doing with a dog to care for?
Who ever approved EBT TO BE USED FIR BS items! This was suppise to provide basic needs on a temporary basis! Glad Florida is cleaning this up but whoever approved this theft of tax payer dollars shoukd be prosecuted! Sounds like they were buying votes, which means they are likley democrats!
Isn’t it about time that TEMPORARY meant precisely that? A large number of the recipients of these monies forcibly extracted from those who work and pay taxes have been enjoying their endless leisure time for many, many years.