Iowans spar on proposed SNAP and Medicaid changes that could cut thousands of recipients

Dozens of Iowans spilled out of a crowded Capitol meeting room on Tuesday morning, lining up to give their testimony on a bill to change eligibility requirements for food and health care assistance in Iowa.

Representatives from food banks and health care organizations pleaded with Iowa House lawmakers not to advance the legislation, arguing it would wrongfully boot people in need from the program.

Business owners, concerned citizens and a few faith leaders commended lawmakers for the bill, which they say will protect tax dollars and bring people back to the workforce.

Senate File 494 would change eligibility requirements for a family to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or Medicaid from the state and would create regular checks to confirm whether recipients still qualify for the program.

The Senate passed the bill last week, sending it to the House for consideration. Rep. Ann Meyer, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, said House Republicans would discuss how to find a compromise between the Senate's proposal and a similar bill introduced in the House.

More: Iowans would face public assistance restrictions under bill passed by Senate. The impact:

Speakers recall using assistance programs, food banks plead for help

Opponents of the legislation told lawmakers that the changes will wrongfully remove Iowans from the programs, cutting benefits for people who need them most.

The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency estimates that, beginning in fiscal year 2026, about 1% of Iowans will have their benefits canceled "due to discrepancies." That means about 8,000 current Medicaid recipients and 2,800 SNAP recipients would be kicked out of the programs.

Esther Huston, a representative of the Iowa Nurse Association, recalled her own family’s difficulties affording housing, food and medical insurance while growing up in Iowa.

"I still deal with those ramifications to this day … This bill is going to hurt families and children like myself," Huston said.

Representatives from Iowa food banks opposed changes to SNAP eligibility, citing an increase in the number of people seeking assistance from already-strained food banks and food pantries.

Barb Prather, director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo, said the government should "utilize federal government and state government resources when they are available."

"We need to strive to maximize these resources available to us first, then food banks and food pantries can come in and close that meal gap that exists in our state and ensure that food insecure people have access to food," Prather said.

Under the bill, any Iowa households with liquid assets of more than $15,000 would not be allowed to receive SNAP benefits. The limit would not count the value of a home, the household's first car and up to $10,000 of the value of a second household car.

Beyond the new asset limits, opponents of the bill said the changes would create new administrative hurdles for eligible people to access the program.

“SNAP is already inaccessible for many Iowans facing food insecurity," said Luke Elzinga, policy manager for the Des Moines Area Religious Council, which runs a food pantry network. "Meanwhile, food banks and food pantries across the state are assisting record-breaking numbers of people turning to them for assistance putting food on the table.”

Supporters say bill will guard taxpayer dollars, incentivize work

Randall Walker of Cedar Rapids recalled his family's reliance on public assistance decades ago, when his mother was raising two boys on her own. But after she remarried and got promoted at work, Walker said the family was able to transition off the programs.

"She received assistance … but that was never her goal in life, to live under federal assistance," he said. "That was not the end game."

Several supporters of the bill in Tuesday's hearing argued that public assistance programs are essential to help families in need — but that Iowa must be vigilant for people relying too heavily on the benefits or trying to game the system.

Two faith leaders also spoke in favor of the bill. Andres Reyes, pastor at the First Baptist Church in Perry, said the bill is about the "virtue of personal accountability."

"I believe that all people are made in the image of God, so all people have value. But that value is only realized by working for what they have," Reyes said. "One of the greatest problems in America today is depression. The No. 1 reason is because people do not work as hard as other generations."

Business leaders asked lawmakers to consider changing the bill to help workers transition away from using public assistance programs. Marcie Strouse, partner at Capitol Benefits Group, said employers have told her of people denying a promotion or refusing full-time work for fear of losing benefits.

"The biggest challenge that I think most people have is the fact there is a cliff, so you either have all your benefits, or you don’t have any benefits," Strouse said. "And I think we all can recognize that can be a challenge for anyone in this situation."

Stephen Gruber-Miller contributed reporting.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her atkakin@registermedia.com or at 410-340-3440. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa SNAP bill: Citizens debate proposal in public hearing