Month: March 2025

Congress is gearing up for votes in the Senate and House in the coming weeks as negotiations on the budget reconciliation process continue. As we’ve written about previously, the House budget resolution includes $230 billion in proposed cuts to SNAP.

According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assisted about 260,000 Iowans every month in federal FY 2024. Over that time period, Iowans on SNAP received a collective $529 million in benefits that were paid for in full by the federal government.

Like every other state, Iowa has a 50% share on administrative costs with the federal government to operate the program through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. From the latest available data (state fiscal year 2022), Iowa paid $21.8 million in administrative costs to bring in $880 million in benefits to low-income Iowans. Not a bad return on investment, especially when you take into account SNAP’s economic multiplier effect of 1.54.

Since the creation of the modern SNAP program, it has operated in this fashion, with the federal government fully covering the cost of benefits, and sharing administrative costs with the states. Now, this long-standing policy is under threat in Congress.

The U.S. House budget resolution calls for $230 billion in cuts to SNAP. Congress has three options to come up with such massive cuts: slashing benefits, kicking people off the program, or shifting some of the cost of benefits (and the blame for unpopular cuts) to state legislatures. It is looking increasingly likely that Congress will take this third option.

If Iowa were required to cover even 10% of SNAP benefit amounts, it would have cost the state $53 million in FY 2024, and would cost Iowa an estimated $502 million from 2026-2034. This amount could go even higher. President Trump’s 2018 budget proposed imposing a 10% cost-share with states for SNAP benefits and shifting to 25% over time (which would have cost $131 million to the state of Iowa in FY 2024). And if we were to see an economic downturn drive higher program enrollment, that would only add to the state’s costs and pressure on the state budget.

So how would the state of Iowa come up with an extra $53-130 million every year to cover these added costs? There are fears that for the first time, Congress could authorize states to directly reduce SNAP benefits amounts, which are already largely inadequate. If this were to happen, it would severely threaten Iowans’ food security.

Even without the authority to reduce benefit amounts, states may explore policy options to remove people from SNAP in an effort to bring down program costs. It certainly wouldn’t be anything new for the Iowa legislature, where we have seen many bills introduced over the past few years that attempt to restrict eligibility and make it more difficult to access SNAP (and that’s with the federal government fully covering benefit amounts). Added pressure on the state budget could also lead to cuts to other critical social service programs.

Why is Congress even discussing such massive cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and school meals? Mainly to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. In fact, the total amount of cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in the House budget resolution ($1.1 trillion) is the exact same amount as the tax cuts included for the top 1% of income earners.

As budget negotiations continue to heat up in Congress, it’s important our elected officials hear from Iowans loud and clear: no cuts to SNAP, and that includes no shifting benefit costs to states. A cut is a cut is a cut. A cost-shift just shifts the blame.

Iowa food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger organizations continue to assist record-breaking numbers of Iowans. We should be doing more to support Iowans facing food insecurity, not slashing funding to SNAP. If you haven’t already, please contact your Senators and U.S. Representative today and urge them to protect SNAP!

The Iowa Hunger Coalition is hosting a day of action to protect SNAP choice on Monday, March 24, from 11:00am-4:00pm at the Iowa State Capitol. We welcome you to join us for as long as you can whenever works best for you!

If you can’t travel to Des Moines on such short notice, you can email us your comments you’d like us to share with legislators at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com. We also encourage you to contact your House Representative as soon as possible and urge them to VOTE NO on HF 970!

Advocates will gather on the ground floor near the information desk before going up to speak with legislators and urging them to reject HF 970, which would impose sweeping restrictions on which foods people could purchase with SNAP benefits.

Section 2 of the bill states (emphasis added):

The department of health and human services shall request from the food and nutrition service of the United States department of agriculture to provide, for purposes of state administration of the supplement food and nutrition program, a modification to the eligible foods as defined in 7 C.F.R. §271.2 to only include healthy food based on necessary nutrition for good health, including but not limited to healthy grains, dairy, meat, eggs, peanut butter and nuts, pasta, rice, legumes, and fruits and vegetables.

If the state legislature didn’t want to play food police, it appears they are instead deputizing the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Either way – it’s wrong…and also very unclear? But we do know this: Iowans should be trusted to make the best food choices for their families.

Research consistently shows (including a recent study by Iowa HHS), that people on SNAP want to eat more healthy food, but struggle affording it and having the time to prepare meals from scratch. That’s why we should be investing in programs like Double Up Food Bucks, which helps bring down the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP participants and supports local farmers to boot.

And sure, Section 1 of HF 970 includes a $1 million appropriation for Double Up Food Bucks, but those funds are currently contingent upon USDA granting Iowa its SNAP food ban. Why would our legislature hold these funds hostage like this, especially when we have a separate bill with a clean $1 million appropriation for Double Up Food Bucks, HF 920 (which is literally sponsored by half the House Republican caucus)?

Trust us, we love Double Up Food Bucks. It’s been at the top of our legislative agenda for years. But $1 million to support the program will only go so far, and the food restrictions would negatively impact all 260,000 Iowans on SNAP going forward. That’s not a trade-off we’re willing to make.

Aside from the fact that this bill is just plain wrong, it would be bad for Iowa’s economy. One in three SNAP participants in Iowa lives in a county that borders another state. While we know that transportation barriers continues to exist for some folks on SNAP, others would certainly choose to do their shopping across state lines to avoid the government policing what’s in their grocery cart.

HF 970 is likely to come up for debate in the House very soon. That’s why we’re asking you to show up and speak out against this harmful bill on Monday.

Feel free to reach out with any questions at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com.

The Iowa Hunger Coalition condemns the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cancel $500 million in funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The Iowa Hunger Coalition and our members call on USDA to immediately restore these food orders, and call on Iowa’s elected officials to advocate with USDA to reverse this disastrous decision.

RELATED: IHC Statement on USDA Cancelling Local Food Purchasing Programs

“Food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger groups continue to see record-breaking numbers of Iowans turning to them for food assistance,” said Luke Elzinga, board chair of IHC. “Food insecurity rates continue to climb, and this will only make matters worse. Every single Iowan should be outraged at this decision by USDA.”

The $500 million in cuts come from eliminating additional TEFAP funding authorized through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) at USDA. In Iowa, this will eliminate an estimated $3.8 million worth of food for food banks, food pantries, and the people they serve. Dozens of truckloads of meat, milk, cheese, and vegetables have been cancelled.

“TEFAP is our food pantry’s primary source of protein and dairy items,” said Nicole McAlexander, Executive Director of the Southeast Linn Community Center. “With this funding cut it will be extremely difficult for us to continue to provide nutritious, well-balanced choices to our neighbors.”

“This is yet another debilitating blow to food pantries, food banks, farmers, and, most importantly, families struggling to afford food,” said John Boller, Executive Director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry. “Like most pantries, we rely heavily on commodity food to keep our shelves and coolers stocked with nutrient-dense choices for our neighbors. In 2024, TEFAP provided a quarter of the food we distributed. Take away TEFAP and there’s no Coralville Community Food Pantry.”

“TEFAP is a critical resource for those of us fighting food insecurity,” said Matt Unger, CEO of the DMARC Food Pantry Network. “The nonprofit sector continues to be asked to do more and more as food insecurity rises and critical government resources face cuts.”

“At a time when food banks across our state are serving record breaking numbers of Iowans every month and struggling to keep their shelves stocked, further federal funding cuts are devastating,” said Paige Chickering with Save the Children Action Network. “Food insecurity is on the rise in Iowa. We need to dedicate more resources to this growing problem, not take away already sparse financial support.”

The Iowa Hunger Coalition strongly objects to the decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cancel the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and Local Foods for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSCC) for 2025 and beyond. These programs would have provided $11.3 million in local food purchasing support for food banks and emergency feeding programs ($3 million), schools ($6.1 million), and early child care programs ($2.2 million) over the next three years.

LFPA and LFS have been incredibly successful in Iowa, not only in providing fresh, nutritious food to Iowa’s schools and anti-hunger organizations, but also in building markets for Iowa’s local food farmers. Our friends at the Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Food System Coalition, Iowa Food Bank Association, Iowa Valley RC&D, Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Network, Iowa Food Hub Managers Working Group, Meskwaki Nation, and many other coalition partners and individual food farmers have shown tireless dedication to feeding Iowans and improving our local food systems through LFPA and LFS—building on decades of local food systems work. Many food farmers have already made substantial investments and scaled up production in anticipation of these programs. Their work should be commended, not condemned.

Iowa’s food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger organizations continue to assist record-breaking numbers of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. At the same time, federal and state support for nutrition programs are increasingly under threat. Nonprofits are being asked to do more with less. Without the support of LFPA and LFSCC, food banks, emergency feeding organizations, and schools are left with fewer resources to feed children, seniors, and Iowans of all ages.

We appreciate the support for local food purchasing programs from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), and believe the state has an opportunity to respond to this moment by stepping up investment in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program. We are calling on the Iowa state legislature to direct $3 million in funding to support this program in state fiscal year 2025-2026. Please contact your state Senator and Representative today and urge them to increase state funding for the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program.

Furthermore, we are encouraging all IHC members and supporters to make conscious and intentional efforts to support local food farmers with your purchases. Visit a farmers market. Sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Buy directly from a local farmer, food hub, or meat locker. We’re all in this together, and we can all make a difference.

The Iowa legislature has reached its first self-imposed deadline, known as the “first funnel,” wherein most legislation has to have passed out of Committee in their chamber of origin, in order to continue through the legislative process. It’s a way of winnowing down the number of bills that are still under consideration. Ways & Means (taxing) and Appropriations (spending) bills are exempt from this deadline, and are considered “funnel-proof.”

So, what’s still alive, and what’s effectively dead for the 2025 session? Read along to get updates on bills we’re monitoring and actions you can take for each.

Double Up Food Bucks

• SF 232 (formerly SSB 1012) would direct $1 million to the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative for the Double Up Food Bucks program, which incentives the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP participants. The bill passed subcommittee and the Senate Health & Human Services Committee with bipartisan unanimous votes. It has now been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee and assigned a new subcommittee. This bill is now considered “funnel-proof.”
  
  
  • ACTION ITEM: Contact the Senators below with your support for Double Up Food Bucks and ask them to schedule a subcommittee meeting for SF 232.
    
    Sen. Kara Warme – kara.warme@legis.iowa.gov
    Sen. Molly Donahue – molly.donahue@legis.iowa.gov
    Sen. Dan Zumbach – dan.zumbach@legis.iowa.gov
    
    
• HF 796 (formerly HSB 216) directs $1 million to the Double Up Food Bucks program, but make that appropriation contingent on the USDA granting Iowa a waiver to restrict food items eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. The amended language only seems to make the guidelines of what foods would be banned more confusing:

This vague definition appears to give the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services sole discretion to decide what is and what is not considered “healthy food based on necessary nutrition for good health.” Iowans should be trusted to make the best food choices for their families.

This bill has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee, but has not yet been assigned a subcommittee.

• ACTION ITEM: Contact your Representative and ask them to oppose HF 796, and instead support a clean $1 million appropriation for Double Up Food Bucks.

SNAP Work Reporting Requirements

• HSB 248 directs the state to impose work reporting requirements for people enrolled in the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan (Medicaid expansion population). People would have to report at least 20 hours per week of work, training, or volunteering in order to maintain their Medicaid coverage.
  
  Division II of the bill also directs the state to coordinate with USDA and HHS at the federal level to “align the requirements and rules for participants of public assistance programs related to working, including but not limited to rules and requirements related to employment and training for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
  
  What exactly would this do? It’s a bit unclear. One interpretation is that this would expand work reporting requirements for SNAP based on the proposed requirements for Medicaid in Division I of the bill. SNAP work reporting requirements already exist for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) ages 18-54. This could potentially expand the 20 hour per week requirement to:
  
  
  • Older adults ages 55-64
  • Caretakers of children ages 6 and up
  • Veterans
  • People experiencing homelessness
  • Young adults aging out of foster care

It’s also possible that this bill could make participation in the SNAP Employment & Training program mandatory as a condition of receiving SNAP, rather than a voluntary opportunity for SNAP participants in Iowa – and could potentially make participation in an employment and training program also mandatory for Medicaid and TANF. Either way, these policies have not been shown to move people to employment, but simply remove people from public assistance programs who cannot comply with the onerous reporting requirements or struggle to find employment.

This bill passed subcommittee on a 2-1 vote and passed the House Health & Human Services Committee with a vote of 12-8-1. It will be renumbered and will be eligible for floor debate in the House.

• SF 363 started off as a Medicaid work reporting requirements bill, but in subcommittee there was a “strike and replace” amendment to align the language with HSB 248.
  
  This bill passed out of subcommittee and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on party-line votes. The bill will now be renumbered and eligible for floor debate in the Senate.
  
  
  • ACTION ITEM: Contact your Representative and Senator and ask them to vote NO on efforts to expand work reporting requirements for Medicaid and SNAP.
    

Updates on Other Legislation

• The grocer reinvestment program and local produce processing grant program (HF 550) has passed out of subcommittee and committee with unanimous bipartisan votes. It is now in the House Appropriations Committee and is considered “funnel-proof.”
  
  
• Legislation that would direct the state to waive federal nutrition requirements for school meals, and instead establish Iowa’s own nutrition requirements for school meals with a preference for pork, corn, and dairy (SSB 1158 / HSB 173) have advanced out of Committee in both chambers. These bills will now be renumbered (SF 525 / House bill number forthcoming) and are eligible for floor debate in both the House and Senate.
  
  
  • Rep. Sami Scheetz introduced an amendment to HSB 173 in Committee that would have delayed implementation until Iowa provided Healthy School Meals for All. Unfortunately, the amendment was voted down on party lines.
    
    
• A bill that would create additional liability protections for food donations from trucking companies to the Iowa Food Bank Association (SF 359) has advanced out of subcommittee and the Senate State Government Committee. Iowa and the federal government already have liability protections for food donated in good faith, so it’s unclear what this bill would change from current law.
  
  
• Efforts to criminalize homelessness in Iowa (SSB 1195 / HSB 286) have successfully been stopped, and these bills are dead for the session. Something to celebrate!

Questions about any of this? Feel free to contact us at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com. Thank you for your ongoing advocacy!