Iowa GOP Proposed Cuts in SNAP-Eligible Food; no federal law

the Supplemental nutritional support program (SNAP) helps millions of Americans pay for groceries.

Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP has been used by more than 41 million people last year – about 12% of the population – and is a central part of the nation’s efforts to end hunger.

SNAP funds can be used to: a broad spectrum of food, although certain products such as alcohol and hot food are not eligible. Several viral tweets recently accused Republicans of trying to limit SNAP benefits by proposing cuts in eligible foods.

Have Republicans proposed reducing what groceries can be purchased with SNAP?

Republicans in the Iowa House of Representatives introduced a bill that would limit what groceries could be purchased with SNAP, but it would only affect Iowa — no such bill was introduced at the federal level.

SNAP is overseen by the US Department of Agricultureis administered at the state level.

On January 11, several Republican state officials introduced themselves in Iowa an invoice this suggests numerous changes in how Iowa administers SNAP and some other benefit programs.

One of the proposed changes affects what groceries can be purchased with SNAP in Iowa. The bill aims to replace the current list with a more limited list from another program.

This program is called WIC – women, infants and children – and while SNAP was designed to fight hunger in general, only WIC targets specific nutritional deficiencies. As a result, the list of permitted foods is more restrictive. It also varies from state to state, with each state releasing an annual list of approved products — often down to brand, size, and flavor.

Using the WIC Grocery List would prevent Iowans from using SNAP to purchase several staples such as flour, fresh meat and white rice.

However, the bill has not passed – it has only been introduced.

Additionally, to make such a significant change to the way Iowa administers SNAP, the state would need to obtain federal government approval. The bill would prompt Iowa to apply to the USDA for a waiver to change the list of permitted foods.

If the law were passed and the waiver granted, the amendment would still only affect Iowa as it is only a state proposal. We’ve looked at the list of laws passed in Congress so far, and there hasn’t been a bill proposing changes to SNAP-eligible foods at the federal level.