The number of Iowans enrolled in a federal food assistance program has dropped by nearly 25,000 since before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law almost a year ago.
The drop comes as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has faced major changes around eligibility requirements at the federal level. Iowa SNAP enrollees have also grappled with state restrictions on which foods can be purchased with SNAP funds, which a federal court recently ruled against.
John Boller, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition and executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry, said with fewer people receiving public assistance, the number of people relying on food pantries has climbed.
“They're having to [make] do with donated food, volunteer labor and unpredictable charitable dollars,” Boller said. “The number of neighbors turning to them for support is not slowing down, and that's not sustainable.”
State data shows SNAP enrollment dropped from 272,747 in June 2025 to 247,907 in May 2026.
Boller said lower enrollment stems from a combination of people losing eligibility for the program and others not enrolling due to greater administrative burdens from the law.
The federal law eliminates eligibility for certain types of immigrants, like refugees and asylees. It also expands work requirements to include adults ages 55 through 64 and parents without children younger than 14, and repeals work exemptions for certain populations.
Earlier this year, Iowa also narrowed the types of foods that are SNAP-eligible to only foods that are not subject to the state sales tax. Sodas and sugary drinks with less than 50% of fruit or vegetable juice and items considered candy are no longer SNAP-eligible, among other products, under the restrictions that took effect Jan. 1, 2026.
On Monday, a federal court ruled against SNAP restrictions in Iowa and other states that were previously granted through federal waivers.
Boller said recipients, especially households who are receiving low benefit amounts through SNAP, might decide the hassle of paperwork and the confusion of navigating the new restrictions isn’t worth continuing to stay in the program.
The minimum SNAP allotment for households of one to two people in most states, including Iowa, is $24.
“It's enough to just cause people to say, ‘Hey, this is just a little too frenetic for me right now. It's not worth going through the process, and my best chance of getting the food I need is through my local food pantry,’” Boller said.
The state’s waiver, submitted in March 2025, states the restrictions are meant to “encourage SNAP participants to choose healthier food items” and “refocus the SNAP program on its designed intent.”
Pantries face increasing strain
Ryan Bobst, executive director of the North Liberty Community Pantry, said the pantry has seen a 36% increase in households served since the federal law was signed last July. He said recent demand has outpaced what the pantry saw during COVID-19.
Bobst said SNAP-eligible foods have caused confusion and frustration with people on food assistance, as well embarrassment in the checkout line.
“What's happening now is pretty upsetting of the apple cart of a situation, where families no longer are in the driver's seat of making their own choice,” Bobst said.
The North Liberty Community Pantry was also experiencing higher demand before the law. But Bobst said the pantry has seen a “direct increase” on demand from the drop in SNAP enrollment as provisions in the law have taken effect over the past year. He said community partners and community support have helped the pantry meet increased demand.
“We would hope that people could meet their needs without SNAP, but they're just seeking assistance in a more informal or from a nonprofit setting, so the need is just being offloaded from SNAP and unloaded to already stressed food pantries,” he said.
Funding shifts to states
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also reduces federal funding for SNAP by almost $187 billion — about 20% — over 10 years.
Starting Oct. 1, 2026, states will be on the hook for 75% of administrative costs for the program, a 25% increase from what states currently shoulder. And from Oct. 1, 2027, states with payment error rates — or the accuracy in which states under or overpay benefits — over 6% will be required to pay a portion of benefit costs for the first time ever.
Iowa’s payment error rate was 6.14% in fiscal year 2024. The Food Research and Action Center estimates Iowa will be responsible for $26,445,275 of benefit costs under the fiscal year 2024 error rate.
Eligibility requirements from the federal law and state food restrictions add more barriers for enrollees and can make it harder for agencies to keep the error rate low, Boller said.
“Those are all challenges that make it harder for people to enroll in the program, stay enrolled, and it's also harder for the state agency, HHS [Health and Human Services], to administer the program successfully and without error,” he said.
Boller said the Iowa Hunger Coalition is asking the state's congressional delegation to oppose any further SNAP cuts and work towards restoring eligibility for Iowans who lost benefits under changes in the federal law. The group is also in support of delaying state cost sharing provisions, which has been excluded from Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill proposal.
Boller called SNAP “the best tool we have” for combatting hunger.
“The work that food pantries are doing is so crucial,” he said. “I'm so grateful for that work. I'm a part of that work locally, and what we're doing will never be able to make up for what SNAP provides for households that are trying to get by and feed their families.”
