Kim Reynolds

The food assistance program, SNAP, is headed into November without federal funding. Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state will match cash donations to Iowa food banks up to $1 million to help fill the gap.

About 131,000 low-income Iowa households may not receive SNAP benefits at the beginning of November because of the government shutdown. Food pantries and food banks in Iowa are preparing for “unprecedented” need.

Gov. Kim Reynolds released 45 recommendations Tuesday made by her Iowa DOGE Task Force. She said there has been misinformation about changes to IPERS, and she assured public employees that their pensions are not going anywhere.

Iowa will have to dip further into its reserves to cover a larger budget gap than expected as federal tax changes add to the impact of state tax cuts. Republican leaders say they have saved enough money to pay the state's bills, while Democrats say the majority party is mismanaging the state's finances.

Sen. Joni Ernst and other members of Iowa’s all-Republican congressional delegation blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown. They also thanked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for her agency's arrest of former Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts.

Gov. Kim Reynolds is seeking federal approval to receive education funding as block grants. She said Iowa's improving K-12 public school performance shows the state is ready to have more control over federal funding.

The ISU employee said on a personal social media account that Charlie Kirk “got what was coming.” The university said the comments are harmful to the institution.

A member of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Iowa DOGE Task Force apologized Monday for his ideas about performance-based teacher pay and IPERS pension plan changes being “misunderstood,” and sought to clarify his recommendations.

Over the past few months, Iowa tried a new way of fighting summertime food insecurity among kids by replacing Summer EBT with "healthy" food. The Healthy Kids Iowa program has faced many logistical challenges that have food pantry leaders questioning if it should return.

Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Iowa DOGE Task Force is floating government efficiency ideas that include paying teachers based on their performance and reducing state employee benefits to align with the private sector.