my 99 grand am steering gets stiff and makes a poping sound while driving. what is it

Welcome to AF!

It is possible that there is something binding or it could be internal in the rack and pinion steering. I would however think it could possibly be several other issues, first the strut mount especially if this noise happens when you turn heavily. One other possibility is a CV joint going bad. You should jack the car up, support it with jack stands and then have someone turn the steering and see if you can localize the noise. This will help with diagnosing the problem.

we tried to see if it would make the noise with the car in park and running but it only does it while it is moving, it get stiff and when it pops it gets easier to turn until you try to turn it the other way

we tried to see if it would make the noise with the car in park and running but it only does it while it is moving, it get stiff and when it pops it gets easier to turn until you try to turn it the other way

How stiff does it get? Sounds like you may have rack and pinion issues. As GTPDad mentioned jack up the front end and then test the steering.