A correction from last week: Meghan Holloran graduated from Drake University with a degree in multimedia journalism, not environmental journalism.

Amie here. The ongoing federal government shutdown is resulting in lots of Iowans not being paid—and it’s not just federal workers.

There are more than 10,000 Iowans who are federal workers, according to the Iowa Federation of Labor. “Working people are already struggling to pay our bills, and the Trump administration is offering no relief,” the group noted in a recent email. (In fact, he’s said he might not even pay them back pay when the shutdown is over, which labor unions are fighting.)

The shutdown also means any bailout of farmers—who need the money thanks to Trump’s “art of the deal” with China—is delayed, if it comes at all.

But the Federation, in line with the national AFL-CIO, also don’t think Democrats should agree to end the shutdown without saving Affordable Care Act subsidies, as Republicans including Gov. Kim Reynolds have suggested—noting that would mean “22,000,000 people are going to see their premiums more than double, millions will just lose coverage as they get priced out, hospitals and clinics are going to pass long increased costs from the Big Bill passed earlier this year, and monthly premiums will increase for everyone.”

It’s not the only cost going up, either; check out what Iowans have to say about increased costs in this Cedar Rapids Reddit post.

And it seems voters agree: More than 78% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want Congress to renew the enhanced tax credits for people who buy their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace. And nobody’s really buying Republicans’ line that they’ll take up those tax credits later; they’ve said their goal all along has been to kill Obamacare.

In this economy, nobody wants their costs to go up.

Iowa is now one of 22 states already in a recession, or dangerously close to it. Low-income Iowans will soon lose access to SNAP, along with free and reduced-cost school meals. Affordable housing, already hard to access, is getting harder thanks to tariffs on building supplies and home goods.

And it’s become increasingly harder to determine how the economy is actually doing, since the shutdown means no monthly jobs report.

Are you noticing prices going up? Is your budget getting tighter? How have you been affected during this shutdown? Email me.

Amie Rivers

Newsletter Editor, Iowa Starting Line

Member, COURIER United (WGA East)

Email me

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Iowa farm lobby pushes back on Trump: The Iowa Farm Bureau is among those pushing back against President Donald Trump’s comments on importing beef from Argentina. “We encourage the administration to resist actions that negatively impact the cattle farmers in Iowa and domestic beef production,” said Farm Bureau president Brent Johnson in a statement, noting he would be “sharing information with the Iowa congressional delegation to discuss further.” But Trump has stood his ground.
Iowa students learn about trades: The 2025 Central Iowa Apprenticeship Expo in Des Moines this week (wrapping up today) introduced more than 2,000 students from 40 high schools to careers in 16 different skilled trades, including electrical work, plumbing, sheet metal, carpentry, ironworking, and bricklaying. “The Apprenticeship Expo gives students the chance to experience what a career in the trades really looks like—through real tools, real equipment, and real professionals,” said Jason Copple, president of the Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council. “It’s about showing young people that skilled trades offer purpose, pride, and long-term opportunity.”
No Tax on Tips has a catch: It doesn’t count service charges, which many restaurants have on large parties, per the latest Treasury Department guidance. That, the Iowa Restaurant Association said, could motivate restaurant owners to consider “a transition from a traditional large party service fee, which would not be a traditional tip and therefore ineligible for the tax deduction.” The department is holding a hearing on the proposal today.
Iowa Democrats against political compact for education: Twenty-two Iowa House Democratic legislators called on the Iowa Board of Regents to reject Trump’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which ties federal funding to those who sign on to a host of rightwing demands that the Iowa Higher Education Coalition also rejected. The legislators said the Compact contains “serious threats to academic freedom, research integrity, and the independence of Iowa’s universities.” Rep. Ross Wilburn added that “the Board of Regents must protect those institutions and not put them at risk by signing onto a partisan agreement.”
Iowa teacher can’t be fired for Kirk comments, a judge has ruled, meaning Creston High School English teacher Melisa Crook retains her job for now (though she’s still on administrative leave). She can also continue with her case against the school district, where the judge said she was “likely to succeed on the merits of her First Amendment claim.”
Unions host ‘Salute to the Military’ hockey night: The International Association of Machinists (IAM) will sponsor a Quad City Storm hockey game on Nov. 8 to raise money for Guide Dogs of America—and they’re offering to paint veterans’ names on the ice.
Latina Equal Pay Day highlights widening disparity: Oct. 8, 2025, is the day at which Hispanic women “catch up” with the average white man’s 2024 pay—one of the worst disparities in the US. Iowa writer Christina Fernández-Morrow talks about why that is, and how we can help.
John Deere moving “some jobs” out of Ottumwa and Des Moines, the company said last week, noting it would take effect in the 2026 fiscal year. They didn’t give many details, but noted some workers would have the option of moving to other Iowa or Illinois plants.
No union news, because the National Labor Relations Board website database has been offline since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

All information taken from Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN Act website. Read WARN Act and Iowa WARN Act criteria here.

Fellers in Urbandale is closing and laying off one worker by Friday.
RTX in Cedar Rapids is laying off two workers by Oct. 31.
Dubuque Bank and Trust/UMB in Dubuque is laying off 40 workers by Nov. 1. Read more here.
John Deere is laying off 40 workers at Des Moines Works in Ankeny by Nov. 3 (read more here).
Wells Fargo in West Des Moines is laying off 12 workers by Nov. 14, 23 workers by Nov. 28, and one worker by Dec. 12.
Winnebago Industries is closing and continuing to lay off, including 26 workers in Charles City by Dec. 12. Read more here.
Toyota Financial Services in Cedar Rapids is closing and laying off 54 workers by Dec. 31. Read more here.