Iowa’s enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has dropped 9% since last year amid new restrictions imposed in Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
The state’s SNAP payment error rate has also dropped, which will allow Iowa to avoid the federal legislation’s mandate that states with error rates above 6% pay for a share of SNAP benefits beginning in fiscal year 2028.
Iowa had nearly 24,000 fewer people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as of May compared with May 2025, state data show. Enrollment stood at 271,880 last May, compared with 247,907 this year.
The federal legislation, which President Donald Trump signed on July 4, 2025, cuts spending on the food assistance program and includes a range of new work requirements and restrictions.
The law expanded work requirements for SNAP, extending them to people aged 55 to 64, as well as parents of children 14 and older, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
“Iowa is experiencing a decline in SNAP enrollment similar to trends in other states,” Danielle Sample, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “SNAP enrollment is always fluctuating as employment income and other circumstances change for recipients. Some provisions in the bill are also contributing to enrollment.”
The drop from 2025 is larger than Iowa has seen in recent years. Enrollment dropped 1% between May 2023 and May 2024 and rose 3% between May 2024 and May 2025.
Iowa has also seen changes in which foods are eligible for SNAP benefits this year. A federal judge on June 22 struck down a federal waiver that allowed Iowa to block SNAP benefits from being used to buy sugary foods like pop and candy.
Anti-hunger advocates cautioned while a range of factors contribute to SNAP enrollment, they believe the One Big, Beautiful Bill has had an effect on Iowa’s participation.
“Without a doubt HR 1 is impacting participation, simply because it has to,” said Kathy Underhill, CEO of the Des Moines Area Religious Council food pantry network. “I would say that’s the overall intent of the bill is to skinny down participation by putting more barriers in place for people to access the program.”
Luke Lynch, senior community engagement officer at United Way of Central Iowa, said SNAP’s application process has long been cumbersome, which can discourage people from applying.
“Sometime the juice isn’t worth the squeeze to spend 45 minutes to an hour applying for benefits that sometimes folks get $5 a month on,” he said.
He said he’s not ready to point to any one factor responsible for the change in SNAP enrollment.
“We’ve seen declining enrollment in the state of Iowa over a number of years, so it’s a trend,” he said. “The latest developments in the last year probably don’t help that trend.”
Iowa’s SNAP error rate drops, saving state from higher cost share
New federal data show Iowa’s SNAP error rate stood at 5.34% for federal fiscal year 2025 — lower than most other states.
That puts Iowa below the crucial cutoff for paying a higher share of SNAP costs under new rules set by the “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”
States with an error rate above 6% will be required to pay a share of SNAP benefit costs for the first time in fiscal year 2028, under the law.
That’s a change from how the state-federal partnership has worked. Previously, the federal government fully paid the cost of SNAP benefits while states and the federal government split the cost of administering the program 50-50. The One Big, Beautiful Bill increases states’ share of SNAP administration costs to 75%.
Sample said HHS is proud of the progress made in reducing Iowa’s SNAP error rate, which she said is “at its lowest point in many years and below the national average.”
“Iowa is currently among the top five states with the lowest SNAP error rates, reflecting both client and agency accuracy,” she said. “This achievement stems from ongoing efforts to streamline and standardize eligibility processes through updated policies, enhanced staff training, internal case reviews and aligning eligibility programs and operations under one structure.”
Iowa’s SNAP error rate stands at about half the national error rate of 10.62% in fiscal year 2025.
“This improvement reflects our continued focus on getting benefits right the first time and the hard work of our staff to strengthen accuracy and consistency across the system,” Larry Johnson, principal deputy director for HHS, said in a statement. “Accurate SNAP administration supports Iowa families, protects taxpayer dollars and ensures Iowans receive timely and correct support.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa SNAP enrollees drop by 24,000 in year since ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
