Federal Government

Iowa hemp retailers are raising concerns after federal lawmakers passed legislation banning hemp products this week while reopening the government.

Iowa households that rely on food assistance will begin receiving their long-delayed November SNAP benefits after Congress ended the 43-day federal government shutdown, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.

Polk County Jail has a 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That partnership authorizes local law enforcement officials to perform some immigration enforcement functions, including preparing removal paperwork, interrogating people who have been arrested about their citizenship status and comparing their biographic information against U.S. Department of Homeland Security databases to identify people who may be eligible for deportation.

After 43 days without federal funding, Iowa’s all-Republican House delegation voted to reopen the government as Congress approved a deal that restores worker pay, protects SNAP and WIC, and delays a major fight over health-care subsidies until December.

The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation's longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to follow due process and provide bond hearings for two individuals being detained in Iowa county jails by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Iowa U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faced a combative crowd Monday during her first in-person town hall of the year, as frustrated constituents booed, heckled and shouted over the congresswoman throughout an hourlong event in Keosauqua that laid bare southeast Iowa voters’ anxieties about the economy, health care and immigration enforcement.

Zach Wahls and Nathan Sage blast Senate Democratic leader over deal to end federal government shutdown without health care subsidy extension guarantees.

President Donald Trump’s administration over the weekend demanded that states “undo” full benefits that were paid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a one-day window between when a federal judge ordered full funding and a Supreme Court justice put a temporary pause on that order.

With the federal government shutdown stretching on, HACAP’s Chris Ackman says the LIHEAP program that helps thousands of Iowans pay winter heating bills could soon face funding delays if Washington gridlock continues.

After months of uncertainty over its future, an online resource for tracking the financial cost of weather and climate disasters throughout the United States has been revived.

In Cedar Rapids, travelers are advised that connecting flights may be affected by the shutdown order.