| DES MOINES, IA – For nearly a month, the federal government has been shut down because Zach Nunn and Washington Republicans, who control the Presidency, House of Representatives, and Senate, refuse to do their jobs and work with Democrats to pass a bipartisan funding bill. Their failure has left thousands of Iowa federal workers without pay and jeopardized health care access for tens of thousands of people in IA-03. Now, over 250,000 Iowans statewide, including more than 75,000 in IA-03, and over 40% of them children, are at risk of losing critical SNAP benefits that provide an average of just over $5 a day to help purchase food. That adds up to $45 million a month to help keep Iowans fed, which is spent in local grocery stores that buy Iowa produce and employ Iowans. During the shutdown, the Trump administration has been able to find $40 billion to bail out Argentina, but somehow isn’t able to fund SNAP benefits for hard-working Iowans. Local food banks and pantries are sounding the alarm as they prepare for a surge in demand that will overwhelm their already stretched resources. Now, instead of working in Washington to fix the mess he helped create, Zach Nunn is campaigning on his role in the shutdown. IA-03 congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, who has spent years fighting food insecurity in the Iowa State Legislature and through her day job as the Coordinator of Interfaith Engagement for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network, spoke with Liz From Iowa about the issue, which you can watch here. Now Trone Garriott is calling out Nunn’s refusal to stand up for Iowans in Washington: “Within days, Iowa families could go hungry. And where is Zach Nunn? Nowhere to be found. I’ve spoken with families who are terrified because they don’t know how they’ll feed their kids.” “Iowans are suffering and afraid because Zach Nunn is putting the goals of Republican leaders in Washington ahead of his own constituents. After voting earlier this year to cut SNAP benefits in the OBBB, he’s unwilling to stand up to his own Party even as they refuse to send out November’s SNAP funding. He knows he owns this disaster, so instead of trying to fix it, he’s just casting the blame elsewhere. We won’t let him, and voters won’t forget Zach Nunn’s failures at the ballot box next November.” About Sarah Trone Garriott: Sarah Trone Garriott has always been called to serve her community as a minister, a mom, a nonprofit leader, and a State Senator. She began her career in AmeriCorps, supporting survivors of domestic violence before going on to serve as a hospital chaplain, parish pastor, and interfaith leader, tackling food insecurity in central Iowa. In 2020, Sarah flipped a Republican-held seat in the Iowa Senate, and in 2022, she defeated the sitting Senate President in a district that Republican Governor Kim Reynolds won by 7 points. She is the only Democrat in Iowa to flip multiple districts while representing a district won by Donald Trump. In the legislature, Sarah has led on issues that matter to working families—lowering costs, defending public education, making healthcare affordable, and expanding access to childcare. Now, she’s running for Congress to ensure Iowans have the strong, principled leadership they deserve in Washington.Learn more about Sarah online at SarahforIowa.com. |
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