DES MOINES, IOWA (October 23, 2025) — Governor Kim Reynolds has announced she has directed the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to convene regular calls with Iowa’s food banks, and is now reviewing the state’s food-insecurity-response plan used during the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare for the potential delay of SNAP benefits if Senate Democrats don’t vote to end the government shutdown before November 1.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, provides food benefits for low-income families and is federally funded through the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. Approximately 131,000 households in Iowa are eligible for SNAP benefits, which cost $45 million per month.
“Because SNAP is fully funded and operated by the federal government, states are unable to step in and keep it running,” said Gov Reynolds. “But this issue could be resolved today if Senate Democrats would vote to reopen the government. If they continue to refuse, they’ll be choosing to put low-income American families at risk.
“I’ve asked HHS to remain in regular contact with Iowa’s food banks so that we are aware of their current inventory and their ability to increase food orders and distribution if necessary. Our focus in Iowa will be on understanding the needs of food banks and pantries across the state and applying what we learned during the pandemic to support SNAP households if benefits are delayed.”
In March 2020, Gov Reynolds established the Feeding Iowans Task Force to assist Iowans impacted by food security during the pandemic. The objective was to understand feeding operations across all populations and resolve any shortfalls in the state’s capacity to continue feeding those in need.
