Latest news with #IowaHungerCoalition
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Reynolds' waiver to restrict SNAP eligible foods approved by USDA
USDA approved a demonstration waiver in Iowa to exclude certain foods from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA) The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Gov. Kim Reynolds' waiver to exclude foods like candy and soft drinks from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Iowa. Anti-hunger advocates were against the waiver and argue it would not help low-income Iowans gain better access to nutritious foods. Reynolds, who appeared on 'Iowa Press' Friday, said the demonstration waiver is a 'really good first step' to return SNAP to its original intent of providing nutritious food to low-income families. 'We are an unhealthy population,' Reynolds said. 'We think this really lines up with the intent of what SNAP was designed for in the beginning, and they can use those dollars to purchase healthy foods and help supplement their family income.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The waiver, which Reynolds submitted in March, excludes any food item eligible for sales tax, as determined by the Iowa Department of Revenue. This includes soft drinks, candy, and sweetened snacks, including granola bars and fruit leathers. The waiver would take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and last for two years. The federal Food and Nutrition Service will work with the state to implement the new definition of eligible food items and then evaluate the demonstration project and its impact on SNAP participants. Nicole McAlexander, vice chair of Iowa Hunger Coalition and executive director of Southeast Linn Community Center, said the waiver will increase stigma and 'perpetuate misconceptions' around SNAP participants. 'Instead of investing in evidence-based solutions to improve healthy eating, the state of Iowa is choosing to experiment on low-income Iowans' grocery carts,' McAlexander said. Members of the coalition advocated for increased funding to the Double Up Food Bucks program, which allows SNAP recipients to double their spending on produce, but proposed bills did not advance in Iowa's legislative session. Luke Elzinga, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, said the waiver will 'do nothing' to lower the cost of nutritious food for Iowans. Elzinga also questioned how the action fit with Reynolds' approved waiver for Iowa's summer feeding program, Healthy Kids Iowa. 'If Gov. Reynolds' opposition to participating in Summer EBT was the lack of nutritional focus,' Elzinga said. 'Why didn't she elect to submit a similar restriction waiver for Summer EBT and participate in the program?' Iowa Hunger Coalition said Reynolds' summer program will assist just 65,000 kids, as opposed to the federal program which would have supported nearly 245,000 Iowa school-aged students in low-income families. Reynolds, when asked about the figure on 'Iowa Press,' said her program allots $40 per eligible student, but families will be able to get more food with their dollars since the program distributes through food banks, versus individual electronic benefit transfer cards. 'And, again, it restricts it to nutritious food,' Reynolds said. 'We're driving healthy outcomes, healthy behaviors in the state so that we can help families provide the kids nutritious food during the summer.' U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins signed similar SNAP-related waivers in Nebraska and Indiana this week. She congratulated the states for stepping up and taking action following her requests to 'innovate' at the state level. 'President Trump has given our nation a once in a generation opportunity to change the health trajectory for our entire country,' Rollins said. 'I look forward to signing even more waivers in the days ahead as we continue to restore the health of America.' The waivers follow guidance from the Trump administration to reduce disease trends, including prediabetes trends in children, which were highlighted in the recent Make America Healthy Again report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Reynolds requests waiver to make certain foods ineligible under SNAP
DES MOINES, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds continues to make moves to try to make Iowa's food programs healthier. This time she submitted a request to limit certain foods under SNAP, the food benefit program for low-income families. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal program though the USDA. Reynolds has requested a waiver to make some items ineligible to obtain. SNAP participants would not be able to buy food products subject to state sales tax. This would include things like candy, breath mints, dried fruit leathers, kettle corn, certain granola bars, soft drinks, certain fruit punches, and more. If it goes through, it would go into effect January 1. Some local groups do not agree with this, like the Iowa Hunger Coalition. 'I don't think this is really the right way to get low income Iowans eating healthier. We need to be looking at solutions that will increase the affordability and accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods for low income Iowans,' said Luke Elzinga, chair of IHC and Policy & Advocacy Manager at DMARC. 'This just really sends the message that the state of Iowa doesn't trust low-income families to make the best food choices for their family. We don't think this ban will be effective, and we'd really like to see some solutions and evidence-based proven interventions like Double Up Food Bucks. The governor actually even mentioned that in her waiver request. So again, we think there are proven solutions to increase healthy eating, but this is not one.' 3 charged in Dallas County fire that caused over $800k in damage to bike trail bridge In Reynolds' letter to U.S Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to support her waiver request, Reynolds said, 'We can and must do better for Americans and Iowans by encouraging healthy choices that will help people thrive, not simply providing cash benefits with no focus on holistic well-being.' Reynolds went on to say that 'Iowa has proven our commitment to innovation and change – all with a focus on improved health and well-being for our families, communities, and farmers.' Reynolds also just received a USDA waiver to opt out of the federal government's summer feeding program and launch its own program 'Healthy Kids Iowa' to serve low income kids during the summer months. In this program eligible families will have access to $40 of food per month per child, focusing on nutritionally balanced food. That program has been approved, but the SNAP waiver has not yet. 'I think there's been a lot of work over the years to reduce stigma around food insecurity in general, around participation in SNAP. This is a step in the wrong direction,' Elzinga said. 'This will create more stigma. I think when people are going to a grocery store and maybe purchasing something that is more processed, more calorie dense, but might be cheaper with their SNAP benefits, they are making a rational decision for their household. Here's what I can afford. Here's what I have time to cook. Here's something my kids are going to eat.' That doesn't mean Elzinga disagrees with the governor about wanting to provide healthy options. 'I think we agree in this goal of wanting to increase healthy eating, let's invest in solutions that get to that affordability piece,' he said. Iowa News: NASCAR Cup Series Driver Cole Custer visits elementary students in Newton Another windy day ahead as temps cool Reynolds requests waiver to make certain foods ineligible under SNAP Funko Pop! figures of Caitlin Clark, other WNBA stars coming — how to get them 3 charged in Dallas County fire that caused over $800k in damage to bike trail bridge Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rollins emphasizes SNAP is for working Americans
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reinforced SNAP work and citizenship requirements with memorandums sent to state agencies. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued memorandums to state agencies urging them to enforce federal guidelines around work requirements and citizenship status when issuing food assistance. Food security advocates in Iowa say the measures do not change much for the agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Luke Elzinga, policy and advocacy director for Des Moines Area Religious Council and chair of Iowa Hunger Coalition, said the memos are more about sending a message than creating policy changes. 'The implication is that people on SNAP are not working, and that we have a bunch of undocumented immigrants on SNAP, and neither of those are true,' Elzinga said. SNAP rules require that anyone ages 16-59 work at least 30 hours per week, unless they have a physical or mental limitation, are a caretaker, receiving unemployment, participating in addiction treatment or studying at a school or training program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Failure to comply with the work requirements could result in loss of SNAP eligibility for one month or longer. Further, able-bodied adults without dependents, or ABAWD, aged 18-54, have to complete additional work requirements, or else risk losing access to SNAP benefits for more than three months every three years. States may request waivers from the ABAWD requirements, which Rollins, as the secretary of Agriculture, has the authority to approve or deny. Rollins' memorandum to state agencies asked them to 'be mindful' of the law that created ABAWD requirements and its intent to 'reduce dependence on public assistance programs and to support self-sufficiency.' The memo asks states to ensure their waiver requests apply 'only to those who truly need it so that those who can work, do.' Elzinga said Iowa does not have any ABAWD waivers in place, so the announcement doesn't have much impact on the state. In a press release about the memorandum, Rollins said states have 'abused' the system by requesting work requirement waivers. 'Today marks the start of a new era for SNAP—prioritizing work, career and technical education, and volunteering rather than idleness, excess spending, and misapplication of the law,' Rollins said in the statement. 'Since my confirmation, I have reiterated the states are our partners, and this includes ensuring our nutrition programs are tied to putting Americans back to work.' Elzinga said enforcing work requirements would be effective at getting individuals to stop using the SNAP program, but not because they would be improving their overall economic well-being. 'We should be supporting people and helping them have access to those (job training) programs, but not necessarily making them a condition of receiving food and health care,' Elzinga said. On a local level, the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds are pushing for expanded work requirements for Iowans to receive Medicaid or SNAP benefits. The other memorandum instructed states to 'carefully examine' their practices for verifying identity and immigration status, to ensure that 'ineligible aliens' do not receive SNAP benefits. The benefits are only available to U.S. citizens and certain eligible 'non-citizen groups' including: refugees, individuals granted asylum, entrants from specific countries like Haiti, Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan and Micronesian islands. Non-citizen children under 18 are also eligible, as are residents with green cards, battered non-citizens and conditional entrants after meeting certain criteria. Elzinga said memo is a bit of a 'nothing burger,' because 'undocumented immigrants don't receive SNAP.' 'It's not allowed by the program,' he said. 'And we also know that it can be really difficult for legal immigrants who qualify for SNAP to even be able to get benefits.' Elzinga said the effort might have an impact by dissuading eligible immigrant families from applying for SNAP benefits, which he said agencies saw during the first Trump administration. 'I do think this announcement could instill fear among mixed status households or even legal immigrants who qualify for SNAP,' he said, noting that folks might withdraw from the program out of fear that it would impact their immigration status. The memo outlines processes that state agencies should follow to verify immigration status and eligibility, including the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program which was recently made available to states at no cost. Elzinga said this would be the only real change to the state policy, because having access to the program for free could save agencies some money when running the service. The memo also encourages states to use other strategies, like surveys and in-person interviews to further verify identity and status of SNAP applicants. 'We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, and it is our duty to ensure states confirm the identity and verify the immigration status of SNAP applicants,' Rollins said in a press release. 'USDA's nutrition programs are intended to support the most vulnerable Americans. To allow those who broke our laws by entering the United States illegally to receive these benefits is outrageous.' The U.S. Department of Agriculture press release cites a report from the Government Accountability Office that found in 2023, USDA paid about $10.5 billion in 'improper' SNAP benefits. GAO listed failure to verify citizenship, identity, education, employment, finances, household size and residency as the top causes for improper payments. U.S. congressional leaders from Iowa introduced a bill earlier this session to similarly address the problems outlined in GAO study. Rollins also sent a letter to state governors in early April, calling for improvements to SNAP application processing times. The program guidelines stipulate that applications are to be processed in 30 days for normal applications, but the letter said more than 30 states fail to meet that deadline. Iowa's application processing timeliness was rated at 77% in 2023. Elzinga said the letter appears to be 'a good thing' to help improve processing rates in Iowa and other states. The SNAP program is also expected to be impacted by the $230 billion in cuts congressional leaders are tasked with making to the federal House Agriculture budget. Several funding programs that helped food banks purchase food have already been cut at the federal level, despite the fact that food pantries, at least in Iowa, are only seeing an increase in need. 'No time is really a good time to be talking about SNAP cuts, but especially right now when we're seeing this historic need … it's just a really, I think, a really concerning time,' Elzinga said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Food restrictions for Iowans on SNAP benefits advances in Iowa House
DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa House subcommittee moved forward a bill on Wednesday afternoon that would limit foods that can be purchased through the supplemental nutrition assistance program. The bill advanced by a vote along party lines, 2 to 1. It provides a list of eligible foods for SNAP recipients: real eggs, real meat, real dairy, bread and grains, all fruits and vegetables, all cereals which includes granola, peanut butter and nuts, pasta, rice, and legumes and all items in the most current women, infants, and children approved foods list. 'I don't have time to list all the foods that this bill would ban but its effectively two thirds of the grocery store,' said Luke Elzinga, the policy and advocacy manager for DMARC United. Iowa Attorney General sues 2 crypto companies, stealing $20 million from Iowans 'Over 60% of SNAP participants report the affordability of healthy foods is a barrier to achieving a healthy diet throughout the month,' said Cyndi Pedersen, a lobbyist for Iowa Hunger Coalition. There were also concerns for grocery stores having to abide by these more reduced lists, as employees would have to confirm the items being purchased through the SNAP program would lineup with state law. There is a portion of the bill that everyone agrees with, which is the double up food bucks' program. The bill adds an appropriation of $1 million to expand access for Iowans to get fresh fruits and vegetables. But a majority of public comment on the bill were against the bill as a whole due to the changes to SNAP. There could be changes to the list in the future, but the bill was advanced to keep the conversation ongoing as next week is the first massive deadline for Iowa lawmakers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
