Your voice is needed NOW to protect SNAP and Medicaid

House and Senate committees are debating bills this week that would increase hunger and limit health care by making it harder for eligible Iowans to apply for and receive SNAP and Medicaid.

The biggest harms would be to Iowa's SNAP program. And the harms are scary. Nearly 70% of Iowa SNAP participants live in families with children: there’s simply no way to make any of SNAP cuts proposed in this bill without taking food away from children.

The bills are a solution in search of a problem. SNAP benefits don’t impact the state budget — they're 100% federal — and state administrative costs, split with the federal government, have been stable over time.

Dropping any individual harmful element would make them less bad — but still bad. The better answer is to keep the bills from advancing at all. 

With food banks and pantries breaking records across the state and SNAP enrollment at a 14-year low, we should be exploring ways to expand access to SNAP, not put up barriers. 

Get briefed

The Iowa Hunger Coalition will be holding an Anti-Hunger Day of Action tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28. The day kicks off with an online briefing at 9:00 a.m. that will recap the two bills and their current status and share details on how to contact your legislators and talking points to use when you call.

Can't make the briefing? You can still help stop these bills

Contact your lawmakers now and tell them to oppose House File 3 and Senate Study Bill 1105. Here's how: 

First, if you aren't sure who represents you, find your Senator and Representative HERE. 

Next, call the House switchboard at (515) 281-3221. Ask to be connected to your Representative. You may be patched through to them or, more likely, you will be asked to leave a message. Here's how to start: 

“My name is [your name] and I'm a constituent of Representive [their last name]. I live in [your city]. I'm calling to ask Representative [last name] to oppose House File 3. This bill will make it harder for Iowans to put food on the table and get the health care they need to work and get ahead."

Finally, call the Senate switchboard at (515) 281-3371. Ask to be connected to your Senator. You may be patched through to them or, more likely, you will be asked to leave a message. Here's how to start: 

“My name is [your name] and I'm a constituent of Senator [their last name]. I live in [your city]. I'm calling to ask Senator [last name] to oppose Senate Study Bill 1105. This bill will make it harder for Iowans to put food on the table and get the health care they need to work and get ahead."

Adapt or add to the message to reflect your experience, but remember, you will likely be speaking to switchboard staff who will write down your message, so keep it simple.

Here how these bills would increase hunger and hardship

SSB 1105 and HF 3 would have Iowa: 

  • Join the minority of states that use an asset test in their SNAP program. An asset test punishes families for having even meager savings or for living in a household with more than one car. 
  • Attempt to ban food products like soda and candy, an approach that takes away autonomy from families, while doing nothing to address root causes of hunger: low wages, wealth inequality, weakened labor protections and an eroding safety net. 
  • Institute redundant eligibility verification requirements across public assistance programs that would snare people who are eligible but struggle to manage required paperwork, such as those without reliable internet access, those who move a lot or those who have limited English skills. 
  • Require more Iowans to meet job training and reporting requirements in order to get food or health assistance. Such requirements show little to no evidence of helping people get better jobs, but are effective in cutting people off SNAP and Medicaid. 
  • Puts at risk a proposed $1 million state appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks program (which doubles the value of SNAP dollars spent on fresh fruits and vegetables), by linking it to federal approval of Iowa's proposal to waiver to restrict soda and candy from SNAP, something that is highly unlikely to happen.
 
 

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