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H.R. 1: One Year Later

NEARLY 25,000 IOWANS HAVE LOST FOOD ASSISTANCE SINCE PASSAGE OF H.R. 1

The Iowa Hunger Coalition marks the one-year anniversary of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” by releasing new data on SNAP enrollment decline and its growing toll on food pantries statewide

IOWA (July 3, 2026) – One year ago, President Trump signed H.R. 1, often referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” into law. In the twelve months that followed, nearly 25,000 Iowans have been disenrolled from SNAP, the most efficient, far-reaching food assistance tool the federal government has. The Iowa Hunger Coalition is releasing the latest enrollment data to mark that anniversary and to call attention to what those numbers mean for families, food pantries, and communities across the state.

According to data from the Iowa Hunger Coalition’s SNAP Map and Iowa HHS F-1 SNAP Reports, SNAP enrollment in Iowa stood at 272,728 in June 2025, the month before the law took effect. By May 2026, that number fell to 247,907. That is a reduction of nearly 25,000 Iowans who have lost access to federally funded food assistance in the span of a single year.

Iowa’s experience is not an outlier. Nationally, SNAP participation has declined by approximately 4.96 million people over the past year, according to data compiled by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). FRAC’s tracking shows that nearly 1 million people lost SNAP between January and July 2025, with the steep decline after July, a direct result of the passage of H.R. 1. Iowa’s numbers follow that same trajectory

“A year ago, Congress made a choice. In Iowa, that choice has meant 25,000 fewer people with food on the table,” says John Boller, Board Chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. “These are children, parents, grandparents, and working adults who needed help and had it, and now don’t. The need didn’t go away. It just landed somewhere else.”

The shelves at North Liberty Community Pantry, stocked with food for their neighbors.

Frontline organizations across Iowa have been tracking the fallout in real time. As SNAP enrollment has dropped, pantry visits have climbed, and so has the cost of keeping up. Donated food hasn’t kept pace with demand, forcing organizations to purchase more at the same grocery prices that are already straining the households they serve.

The North Liberty Community Pantry has seen a 36% increase in households served since the signing of HR1. “HR1 has increased food insecurity, and people that previously relied on SNAP now must turn to food pantries for their food needs.” says Ryan Bobst, Executive Director of the North Liberty Community Pantry. “The need has not reduced with lower SNAP enrollment, it has shifted to already strained food pantries.”

“The cost to stock our food pantry shelves over the last eight months has been 100% higher than it was over the same time period the previous year,” shared Nicole McAlexander, Executive Director at Southeast Linn Community Center in rural Linn County. “The recent release of the ALICE report from United Way highlights that 1 in 3 Iowans are unable to meet a basic needs budget. Without the support of programs like SNAP, these Iowans turn to food pantries that are already stretched beyond capacity.” 

Volunteers with the Southeast Linn Community Center stock the pantry before a distribution last December.

The North Iowa Impact Team, which works with little free pantries and community fridges, “has worked with partners to install 9 more little free pantries in the Mason City area, bringing the total to 39,” reports Mary Beyerhelm Huey, President of North Iowa Impact Team. “The team and community members work hard to re-stock the pantries but most are emptied within a couple hours.”

As SNAP has contracted, food pantries across Iowa have been left to absorb the difference. They’re doing it with donated food, volunteer labor, and unpredictable charitable dollars.

“Most pantries can respond to a temporary surge,” says Paige Chickering, Vice Chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. “What they can’t do is permanently stand in for a federal program that was, until last year, helping more than a quarter million Iowans keep food on the table. That’s not a gap the charitable sector was built to fill.” 

The Iowa Hunger Coalition is calling on Iowa’s federal delegation to oppose further SNAP cuts in the appropriations process or future reconciliation legislation, and to work toward restoring eligibility for Iowans who lost benefits under H.R. 1. We also urge Iowa’s U.S. Senators to push for a delay in H.R. 1’s state cost-sharing provisions as part of ongoing farm bill deliberations, before the burden falls on Iowa taxpayers and the families who depend on this program.

Click here to view Iowa Public Radio’s Coverage

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Iowa’s FY25 SNAP Error Rate

It’s been quite the week.

Iowa just got some rare good news: our FY2025 SNAP payment error rate dropped to 5.34% — below the 6% threshold — meaning Iowa will avoid all SNAP benefit cost-sharing when H.R. 1’s provisions kick in. Of that 5.34%, 4.63% were overpayments and 0.71% were underpayments, per USDA’s newly released FY2025 data.

But the national picture is alarming.

A new analysis from the Food Research & Action Center projects states will have to collectively pay more than $11 billion to keep SNAP benefits at current levels. That kind of cost shift isn’t sustainable for state budgets and puts food access at risk for millions of people across the country.

But the United States Senate has an opportunity to act. As farm bill deliberations move forward, we’re urging Senator Grassley and Senator Ernst to push for a delay in the SNAP benefit cost-shift. Families can’t afford to lose food assistance (nearly 25,000 Iowans have already lost benefits since HR1 was signed) and states are facing impossible choices between continued SNAP participation and cutting other essential services.  

Reach out to your lawmakers today to tell them we must protect access to SNAP by delaying the benefit cost shift!

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Federal Court Blocks Iowa’s SNAP Food Restrictions: What It Means for Iowa Families

On June 22, a federal district court ruled in Aragon v. Rollins that USDA exceeded its legal authority when it approved SNAP food restriction waivers in Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia. 

The court found the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) relied on the wrong section of federal law when approving the waivers and failed to follow required public notice procedures. As a result, the court vacated the federal approvals that allowed these restrictions to move forward.

Governor Reynolds called the decision “short-sighted” and said Iowa would continue working on ways to improve Iowans’ health. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins noted that the administration is not done, saying it will “keep fighting to Make America Healthy Again.” An appeal is still possible, and USDA could pursue new avenues to reimpose restrictions. 

While the Iowa Hunger Coalition is committed to ensuring that every Iowan has access to the healthy and nutritious food they need to thrive, we remain opposed to SNAP food restriction waivers that have the potential to increase program stigma, make it more difficult for SNAP participants to navigate program requirements, and raise costs for retailers and consumers alike. 

Instead, we support evidence-based strategies like Double Up Food Bucks that improve nutrition and increase access to healthy foods without creating additional barriers for families. We will continue advocating for policies that reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and strengthen food security. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Governor, Iowa HHS, and food security partners across the state to achieve these goals. 

Although this ruling does not address whether restricting certain foods within SNAP is good or bad public policy, the ruling will have major implications on the future of SNAP food restrictions in Iowa. The immediate impact remains uncertain as additional appeals or court orders could still be filed. We will continue monitoring developments and will share updates as soon as possible.

For a deeper dive into the ruling, we highly recommend reading through FRAC’s detailed synopsis.

You can also read more local coverage from WHO-13 and KCRG. 

Media Contacts:

John Boller, Board Chair, john@coralvillefoodpantry.org

Paige Chickering, Vice Chair, pchickering@savechildren.org

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Announcing IHC’s New Board Chair

As Luke steps away from the Iowa Hunger Coalition to take on his next adventure in Alaska, we are overjoyed to announce that John Boller, Executive Director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry, will be the next Board Chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition! 

John is an incredible hunger fighter who has not only been a valuable member of the board for over 7 years but has also been instrumental in helping to organize grassroots anti-hunger advocates in his community through the Johnson County Food Access Network.

“I am so excited for John to take the reins of IHC,” said Luke Elzinga, outgoing Board Chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. “John’s passion and dedication to not only addressing the immediate food needs of Iowans, but pushing for systemic change, is contagious. He and the rest of IHC’s board and network of advocates are poised to advance the anti-hunger movement in Iowa to the next level. I couldn’t be prouder.”

We know that the Iowa Hunger Coalition has built a movement to end hunger in Iowa that is far larger than any one person, and we are honored to have John stepping up to lead our continued fight to ensure all people in Iowa have access to the food they need to grow and thrive. John is taking on this role with the same enthusiasm, passion, and dedication he shows every day while serving his community members who are struggling to put food on the table:

“When I joined the Iowa Hunger Coalition in 2019, I didn’t know a lick about anti-hunger policy. I was passionate about chipping away at root causes of hunger, but it was colleagues like Luke Elzinga, Natalie Veldhouse, and Paige Chickering that inspired and empowered me to gain a deeper understanding of how the sausage gets made in Des Moines & DC—and most importantly, how those policies directly impact what I see daily in my community. Expanding my policy knowledge over the years has made me a more effective food pantry director and anti-hunger advocate. 

Having a Luke Elzinga in your life is a luxury. In the context of this coalition, Luke has simultaneously been the engaging, attentive teacher and the hardworking student who happily did the heavy lifting in group projects. In my mind, he has been Iowa’s most influential hunger fighter this decade. And he did it all with humility, compassion, and a genuine desire to support everyone on their quest to fight for a brighter future in Iowa.  

The goal of the IHC board isn’t to replace Luke. That simply isn’t possible. While we remain committed to providing valuable policy analysis and timely action alerts, we believe the smartest path forward is to invest in you. We want every single person on the frontlines of food insecurity to feel supported and united in a collective vision to end hunger in Iowa. We want you to be the Luke Elzinga of your community, your neighborhood, your pantry. We want your local lawmakers to know you by name and to answer when you call. 

How do we get there?

It starts with building trust, sharing stories, and showing up for one another as we navigate an unprecedented moment in which safety net programs are being dismantled while food insecurity continues to surge. 

I hope you’ll join us in this fight. We’re going to need every single one of us.”

You can reach John by reaching out to iowahungercoalition@gmail.com.

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A Letter from Luke

Hey everyone, it’s Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. Thank you all for your advocacy over this past state legislative session. You should be incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished this year! It feels like a high note in our collective work together. And you know what they say about high notes.

Next month, I will be stepping down from the board of the Iowa Hunger Coalition. It has truly been an honor helping to lead IHC for the past seven years and assisting with its initial formation nearly ten years ago. I’ve formed deep friendships and have gotten to meet so many amazing Iowans through this coalition and work. It’s your solidarity and support that has kept me going over the years.

I’m excited to share that my family will be moving up to Anchorage this summer to start a new life adventure in Alaska. The prospect of new beginnings can inspire both excitement and fear. I’ve certainly experienced this myself recently. This was not an easy decision to make, and I am really going to miss working with all of you. I’m also excited about what comes next, not only for me, but for the Iowa Hunger Coalition.

IHC will celebrate its 10th anniversary this December. Yes, a lot of our work has been defending programs from harmful changes, and we’ve had some hard losses. We’ve also grown our coalition and had some big wins, too: sales tax exemption for emergency feeding organizations, state investments in local food purchasing programs and Double Up Food Bucks, and Summer EBT.

What’s in store for the next 10 years for IHC? We want your feedback! Please take our 2026 partner survey by Friday, June 5.

While this is goodbye to Iowa for me (at least for now), please know I’ll always be a friend, supporter, and advocate of IHC. Don’t be shy to reach out and keep in touch with me via my personal email, lukeelzinga@gmail.com, or via social media.

We are seeking passionate anti-hunger advocates to join our board of directors!

IHC’s mission is made possible thanks to our amazing network of supporters, dedicated dues-paying members, and our volunteer board of directors. We are constantly working to build the movement to fight hunger, and we want you to consider playing a larger role in this important work.

We are seeking applicants for our board from a variety of racial, geographic, and professional backgrounds, and are particularly interested in applicants with:

  • lived experience with hunger and food insecurity
  • experience with advocacy and/or lobbying on state and federal nutrition policy
  • communications and media relations training
  • familiarity with direct-service food access programs or organizations

We strongly encourage anyone who is interested to apply, even if your experience does not perfectly align with one or more of the skill sets outlined above!

To apply, simply send an email titled “Board Application” to iowahungercoalition@gmail.com by Friday, June 5, with the following:

  • A copy of your resume
  • Short answers to the following two questions:
    • “Why does hunger exist?”
    • “Why do you want to join IHC’s board of directors?”

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally if you have any questions about joining IHC’s board – I’d be happy to answer them.

I hope I get the chance to see you all in person before I leave. I’ll still be around for another month or so, and if you’re in the Des Moines area, please reach out to find a time to meet up before I go. And if you’re ever Alaska-bound, I expect a visit. 😉

It’s cheesy, but I’ve always liked signing off with the following line that feels especially poignant this time:

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy!

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Celebrating Our Shared Wins this Legislative Session

After a marathon weekend of late-night negotiations, amendments, debate, and votes, the 2026 Iowa state legislative session has officially adjourned. As the dust settles—and we all breathe a collective sigh of relief—it’s evident how strong our coalition stands today. 

Although we faced challenges and saw some negative policy changes like the codification of Iowa’s SNAP restrictions and “welfare reform” measures that make it harder for mixed-status immigrant households to access SNAP, we also made some incredible progress.

Thanks to your advocacy and the hard work of all our coalition partners, we achieved major wins this session:

  • Securing a $1 million standing state appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks program, which helps families who rely on SNAP afford more fresh fruits and vegetables.

  • Maintaining $200,000 for the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program and establishing and funding the new Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program with an additional $200,000 to connect kids with more nutritious, locally grown food.

  • Ensuring Iowa allocated the funding needed to administer the Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program, fill the SNAP administrative funding budget gap from changes in HR1, and modernize eligibility IT systems at Iowa HHS.

  • Defending SNAP, WIC, and school nutrition programs from the most harmful proposed changes, including further restrictions to non-citizen eligibility for WIC, a waiver to re-write federal school nutrition standards, and a 12-month residency requirement for public assistance programs.

Throughout it all, you showed up, spoke out, and made a difference. We can’t thank you enough for all the emails you sent, all the phone calls you made, and all the conversations you had—not only with elected officials, but also with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Please take a minute to contact your state Representative and Senator and thank them for investing in Double Up Food Bucks, Choose Iowa, and Summer EBT!

The fight to end hunger is far from over. SNAP enrollment continues to fall while food banks and food pantries are still facing record-breaking need. Progress can be slow, but we make it infinitely faster when we work together to create positive change. Thank you for all you do.

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State Legislative Update: Budget Season

We’ve officially hit budget season in the Iowa legislature, with appropriations bills being introduced and advanced through House and Senate committees this week. We also saw the passage of an amended “MAHA” bill in the Senate, which now heads back to the House. All the latest updates and ways you can take action are below. As always, reach out to us at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com with any questions you may have!

Initial Budget Wins (And Where We Need to Keep Pushing)

The Governor’s budget proposals include a number of key priorities the Iowa Hunger Coalition strongly supports, including:

  • $10.1 million in additional administrative funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to cover the funding gap created by HR1.
  • $1.2 million in administrative funds to operate the Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program.

  • $19.9 million from the Technology Reinvestment Fund to upgrade the state’s computer eligibility system for SNAP and cash assistance programs.

  • $200,000 for the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program.

We should all celebrate these early wins, especially administrative funding for Summer EBT! However, the Governor’s HHS budget does not currently include several other priorities for the Iowa Hunger Coalition, such as:

  • $1 million state appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks program.

  • $200,000 for the Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program.

Contacting lawmakers who can influence the budget-making process is critical right now to ensure these important programs don’t get left out. Reach out to the key Representatives and Senators listed below today!

House

Rep. Gary Mohr
Rep. Ann Meyer (HHS)

  • Ask for the inclusion of a $1 million appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks Program.

Senate

Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink
Sen. Mark Costello (HHS)
Sen. Tom Shipley (Ag)

  • Ask for the inclusion of a $1 million appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks Program.

  • Encourage Senators to add $200,000 for the Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program to the IDALS budget and pass the Iowa Farm Act.

“MAHA” Bill Advances, “Welfare Reform” Negotiations Continue

This week, the Senate passed the “Iowa Make America Healthy Again Act,” an amended version of HF 2676, which had previously passed the House. On the plus side, the Senate removed language that would have directed the state to re-write school nutrition standards. Unfortunately, codifying Iowa’s food restriction waiver for SNAP and tying the state’s participation to Summer EBT was included in the bill. It now heads to the House for a final vote.

  • Contact your Representative in the House and urge them to vote NO on HF 2676! Iowa should not be rushing to make unproven SNAP restrictions permanent, and should not threaten to withhold summer nutrition benefits for kids if it doesn’t get its way.

Negotiations continue between the House, Senate, and Governor’s office on “welfare reform” efforts. While we successfully defeated HF 2716, SF 2422 is alive and well, and is considered the legislative vehicle for “welfare reform” this session. We are working hard to ensure some of the worst pieces of HF 2716 aren’t revived, and if possible, making positive improvements to SNAP. We will keep you up to date as this develops.

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Statehouse Update: Where Things Stand After the Second Legislative Funnel

Last Friday, March 20, marked the “Second Funnel” deadline in the Iowa State Legislature. We now have a better sense of which bills are “dead” for the session and which are still moving. Thanks to your advocacy, we’ve already marked a few small wins. But the session isn’t over yet, and there are still a lot of threats to food access being thrown around under the golden dome.

The Governor’s “MAHA” Legislation

The Governor’s “Make America Healthy Again” or “MAHA” legislation has advanced in both chambers in slightly different forms. HF 2676 passed the House, and SF 2367 passed out of committee in the Senate and is now on the “unfinished business” debate calendar.

These bills contain language that directs Iowa HHS to continuously request a waiver from USDA to maintain Iowa’s SNAP food restriction waiver that took effect on January 1, 2026. After a barrage of advocacy throughout several subcommittee meetings, HF 2676 was amended on the floor to clean up the bill language and ensure that Iowa’s participation in Summer EBT would not be predicated on the USDA approving a “healthy foods waiver.” While this was a small victory, IHC continues to believe that parents should be trusted to make the best food choices for their families and that the current restriction waiver has caused a multitude of unintended consequences that have banned healthy items and led to confusion for SNAP participants and retailers alike. 

While we want to see all Iowans eating nutritious foods and leading healthy lives, we believe that proven, evidence-based programs like Double Up Food Bucks provide a far better avenue to achieve this goal by directly addressing the primary reason SNAP participants struggle to eat healthy: the high cost of healthy foods. 

Another amendment to HF 2676 that was adopted on the House floor added language that seeks to re-write school meal standards in Iowa. The health and nutrition of Iowa’s students has long been at the forefront of our advocacy for expanding free school meals in our state and we are eager to work with the legislature to improve nutrition access and education statewide. But this amendment fails to expand access to school meals and instead proposes major rewrites to Iowa’s school meal guidelines at a time when school nutrition officials are already anticipating significant federal changes. If Iowa implements standards that differ from federal guidelines, it could put millions of dollars in school meal funding at risk.

With the outcome of these bills still unclear, we are encouraging our legislators to reject these harmful proposals and instead focus on finding state funding for Double Up Food Bucks to support the health of low-income families in our communities.

“Welfare Reform” Efforts

Thanks to the hard work of all our advocates, we are pleased to share that HF 2716 has been defeated for this session. This bill had a number of harmful proposals, including kicking some pregnant women, infants, and children off WIC and establishing a 12-month residency requirement for public assistance programs in Iowa that was against federal law. Defeating this bill is a major victory for anti-hunger advocates! But, we shouldn’t celebrate too prematurely.

Senate File 2422 already passed the Senate and is alive and well in the House. While SF 2422 largely codifies existing federal SNAP policy in Iowa, the House has indicated they may attempt to re-insert provisions from HF 2716, and we will need to remain vigilant to ensure additional harmful proposals stay out of a final “welfare reform” package.

This bill is not in its final form by any means yet. If we could amend it in committee, there would be several amendments I would be bringing forward…We are going to continue to work with the Senate to make sure that we can come to some final compromise and those discussions are already taking place. 

Rep. Austin Harris, Chair, Iowa House of Representatives Health & Human Services Committee Meeting, March 19, 2026

We will continue to advocate in the coming days and weeks to protect Iowans’ access to SNAP, WIC, and other nutrition programs.

Budget Priorities : Investing in Iowans Feeding Iowans

Now that the Iowa legislature has passed the second funnel, and the Revenue Estimating Conference has met, we have officially entered “budget season.” The Iowa Hunger Coalition is advocating for investments across the state budget to help address food insecurity and ensure all Iowans have access to the nutrition they need to thrive. 

In the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) budget, we are requesting:

  • $1 million appropriation to the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative for the Double Up Food Bucks program.

We also support the following budget asks from the Governor’s proposed HHS budget:

  • $19.9 million appropriation from the Technology Reinvestment Fund (TRF) in FY 2027 “for the design, development, and implementation for the new eligibility determination system for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Family Investment Program (FIP), and the Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA).”

  • $10.1 million appropriation from the General Fund for additional SNAP administration costs due to changes from HR1.
    • $8.7 million from Community Access & Eligibility
    • $1.4 million from Accountability, Compliance, & Program Integrity

  • State administrative costs to operate the Summer EBT (SUN Bucks) program are estimated to be around $2 million. This was not included in the Governor’s initial HHS budget request due to the timing of the announcement on Summer EBT, but is supported by the administration. These administrative costs could be shared 50/50 between the Health & Human Services and Education budgets.

Finally, IHC is also advocating for the following budget priorities for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS):

  • State investment in the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program and Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program.
  • The Governor’s budget proposal includes $200,000 for the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program, but does not include an appropriation for the school program. We would like to see robust funding for both programs.

You can help us by reaching out to key legislators on the Appropriations Committees below and advocating for the priorities listed above!

Appropriations Committee Leadership

House

Senate

Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Leadership

House

Senate

Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee Leadership

House

Senate

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy! Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com.

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2026 State of Iowa Mid-Session Legislative Update

This week marks roughly the halfway point in the Iowa state legislative session, and a lot has happened over the past two weeks. Here’s the latest update on where bills stand and what advocacy actions you can be taking right now.

“Welfare Reform” Efforts

The House and Senate both have “welfare reform” legislation this session. While we have concerns with both bills, the House version is considerably more harmful.

  • SF 2422 passed the Iowa Senate last Wednesday, February 25, with a 30-17 vote. The Iowa Hunger Coalition successfully lobbied to remove a harmful provision that would have directed the state to share the immigration status of non-applicant SNAP household members to the federal government. While we still have concerns with parts of this bill, it largely codifies current SNAP policies.

  • HF 2716 is eligible for a floor vote in the House, but the bill has not yet been scheduled for debate (and we hope to keep it that way). The House bill is considerably worse than the Senate version, and would do a number of harmful things, including requiring 12-months continuous residency to qualify for public assistance programs and restricting WIC based on citizenship status.

“MAHA” Bills and Codifying Iowa’s SNAP Restriction Waiver

Similarly, the House and Senate both have their own separate versions of the Governor’s “Make America Healthy Again” or “MAHA” legislation. Both versions contain a provision that seeks to codify Iowa’s food and beverage restrictions for SNAP and Summer EBT.

But this week, during floor debate in the House, a number of harmful amendments were added in, including language from a bill last year that would request a waiver from federal nutrition standards for school meals.

  • HF 2676 passed the Iowa House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 3, with a vote of 65-30. Ten amendments were introduced by both Republicans and Democrats. An amendment by Rep. Austin Harris did clean up some of the SNAP waiver language, which was an improvement and should be celebrated as a small win. Unfortunately, the House also adopted an amendment by Rep. Derek Wulf that seeks to waive federal nutrition standards for school meals, similar to HF 851 which passed the House last year.

  • SF 2367 passed out of the Senate State Government Committee on March 3, and is now eligible for floor debate. The following day, Sen. Kara Warme, Chair of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee, introduced a strike-and-replace amendment to adopt the language from the House bill. This could be a sign the Senate intends to take up the House’s language for a vote.

    • Contact your State Senator and urge them to vote NO on SF 2367/HF 2676! We should not be using Iowa’s school children as a testing ground for unproven nutritional standards and tying the state’s participation in Summer EBT to having a restriction waiver.

Investing in Iowans Feeding Iowans

The Iowa Farm Act continues to make progress in both the House and Senate. This legislative package, introduced by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, makes positive changes to the Choose Iowa Food Bank Purchasing Program and would permanently establish the Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program.

  • SF 2465 passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, March 4. The bill is now eligible for a floor vote in the Senate.

    • Contact your State Senator and let them know you support investing in the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing provisions in the Iowa Farm Act!

  • HF 2340 is still sitting in the House Ways & Means Committee and has not yet had a subcommittee scheduled. This bill is considered funnel-proof.

Progress on Double Up Food Bucks has unfortunately stalled after a failed committee vote on SSB 3145, which among other things, included a $1 million appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks program. While the failed vote was a setback, there are still avenues for advocacy on this issue.

  • SF 2027 is a clean $1 million appropriation for Double Up Food Bucks and is still considered “alive” and funnel-proof.
  • HF 970, which you may recall passed the House last year, makes a $1 million appropriation for Double Up Food Bucks contingent upon the state having a SNAP restriction waiver in place. On February 24, a Senate subcommittee was assigned to the bill, which could be an indication the Senate intends to use this bill as a vehicle for the Double Up Food Bucks appropriation. To make things confusing, the waiver language in HF 970 does not match the waiver language that was just passed in HF 2676.

We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop as bills continue to move leading up to the legislature’s “Second Funnel” deadline on Friday, March 20. As always, please feel free to reach out to us at iowahungercoalition@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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Take Action Today to Protect Nutrition Assistance for Young Children!

On Tuesday, February 24, House File 2716 was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives and placed on the calendar. That means this bill could come to the House floor for a vote at any point, and we need you to reach out to your Representative in the House and urge them to vote NO on HF 2716!

HF 2716 (previously HSB 696) is a “welfare reform” bill that would take food assistance away from pregnant women, infants, and young children. It contains a number of harmful provisions we oppose, including:

Restricting eligibility for WIC based on citizenship status. WIC provides pregnant and post-partum mothers, infants, and young children with access to food assistance, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education.

HF 2716 would restrict people who are undocumented and certain legal humanitarian immigrants from accessing WIC. While states have long had the authority to restrict WIC eligibility based on citizenship status, no states currently have this policy in place. Iowa would be the only state in the nation to impose this requirement for WIC.

For every dollar invested in WIC, $2.48 is saved in medical, education, and productivity costs. WIC is fully federally funded. This bill would not save the state of Iowa any money—in fact, it would have the complete opposite effect.

WIC is a vitally important program for supporting the healthy development of young children in low-income families. It is an investment in our shared future. Access to proper nutrition in the first five years of life can have life-long impacts on physical and brain development. Our state legislators should not be voting to jeopardize young children’s futures.

Requiring 12 months of continuous residency in Iowa to qualify for public assistance programs. This provision is in direct violation of federal laws that prohibit states from imposing “durational residency requirements” for SNAP (7 CFR 273.3(a)) and WIC (7 CFR 246.7(c)(i)).

The bill also redefines public assistance programs in Iowa to include Child Care Assistance and WIC alongside SNAP, Medicaid, Hawk-i, and the Family Investment Program (TANF). Division III of the bill seeks to allow the state to ask applicants to public assistance programs how long they’ve been in Iowa and their “reasons for being in the state.”

Requesting a waiver from USDA to allow Iowa HHS to expunge SNAP benefits from EBT accounts after three months of inactivity “or of benefits remaining.” Current policy allows states to expunge SNAP benefits after nine months of EBT account inactivity, and we do not see any good reason to change this. If Iowa were granted this waiver by USDA, it would be the only state in the nation to have this policy in place.

Don’t wait – take action today by contacting your House Representative and urging them to vote NO on HF 2716! We encourage you to make your message personal and local – let them know why it matters to you and your community. If you need some help, feel free to borrow some of the language below in developing your message.

Hello Representative,

I am a constituent and am contacting you today to urge you to vote NO on HF 2716. This bill would create additional restrictions for SNAP and WIC. At a time when food pantries are serving record numbers of Iowans, and grocery prices have risen nearly 30% in the past 5 years, we should be reducing barriers to food assistance, not creating new ones. 

I ask that you lead with compassion and reject this attempt to take vital nutrition assistance away from children in our community. 

Sincerely, 

[Your Name]