Yesterday morning, after an all-night debate, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its budget reconciliation bill, which contains the largest cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the history of the program. The bill cuts $295 billion in federal funding to SNAP over the next 10 years, a 30% cut to our nation’s largest anti-hunger program. All four members of Iowa’s federal delegation to the House voted in favor of the cuts.
“Every Iowan should know that Rep. Ashley Hinson, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Rep. Zach Nunn, and Rep. Randy Feenstra all just voted for the largest cut to SNAP in the history of the program,” said Luke Elzinga, policy and advocacy manager at the DMARC Food Pantry Network and board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. “Our elected leaders in Congress are failing the people of Iowa.”
Food banks, food pantries, and other anti-hunger organizations across the state continue to contend with record-breaking levels of Iowans turning to them for assistance. According to data recently released by Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, food insecurity increased in every single county of Iowa in 2023. The gap between the number of Iowans experiencing food insecurity and the number of Iowans enrolled in SNAP continues to widen. For too many hungry Iowans, SNAP is already inaccessible and inadequate.
“We should be focusing on streamlining and improving access to SNAP and ensuring greater benefit adequacy,” said Elzinga. “This bill does the complete opposite.”
The House reconciliation bill would shift tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in annual program costs to the state of Iowa, expand work reporting requirements to older adults and parents and caregivers of school-age children, eliminate the SNAP Nutrition Education Program (SNAP-Ed), and freeze Thrifty Food Plan updates, cutting future benefit amounts for Iowans.
“Yesterday’s vote is unconscionable,” said Nicole McAlexander, executive director at Southeast Linn Community Center . “SNAP is the best tool we have in addressing hunger and food insecurity and has very low rates of fraud. If this bill goes through, people will suffer.”
The House budget reconciliation bill not only includes the largest cut to SNAP in history, but the largest cut to Medicaid. These policy changes could also impact the number of children who qualify for free school meals, because when families lose access to SNAP and/or Medicaid, they are no longer automatically eligible for free school meals.
“The House reconciliation bill would do incredible harm to children and families in our state,” said Paige Chickering, Iowa State Manager for Save the Children Action Network. “With hunger and food insecurity rates steadily climbing we need more investment and support for the most vulnerable among us, not massive cuts that will make it much more difficult for hard working Iowan’s to put food on the table for their families.”
The Iowa Hunger Coalition calls on Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst to push back against these deep, structural cuts to SNAP as the reconciliation bill now heads to the Senate.
“Sen. Grassley and Sen. Ernst have an opportunity to do what’s right and stand up to protect vulnerable Iowans against these devastating cuts,” said Elzinga. “We are calling on all Iowans to contact your Senators and demand they step up to protect SNAP.”