Rep. Ashley Hinson

Kay Henderson

She is preparing to begin her third term in the U.S. House, representing Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, and most of northeast Iowa. We'll visit with Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson on this edition of Iowa Press.

 

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For decades, Iowa Press has brought you political leaders and newsmakers from across Iowa and beyond. Celebrating more than 50 years on statewide Iowa PBS, this is the Friday, November 22nd edition of Iowa Press. Here is Kay Henderson.

 

Kay Henderson

Our guest on this edition of Iowa Press was sworn in to represent Iowa and the U.S. House of Representatives in January of 2021. In January of 2025, she will be sworn in to a third term representing Iowa's second Congressional district. Ashley Hinson, Republican from Marion, welcome back to Iowa Press.

 

Ashley Hinson

Great to be with you all. Thank you for having me.

 

Kay Henderson

Joining our conversation. Brianne Pfannenstiel of The Des Moines Register. And Erin Murphy of the Gazette and Cedar Rapids.

 

Erin Murphy

Congresswoman, you were reelected by 15.6 points here. What was the mandate? Do you believe that second district voters gave you for your next term?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah. Well, first of all, I consider myself very lucky to be able to go back and be Iowans voice in Congress. And I think it was very clear what I heard out on the campaign trail is what our mandate is to go out and do, starting in January. So that will be making sure that we're focused on protecting tax cuts for the middle class and for Iowans and also making sure we're securing our border.

Those were the two top issues that I heard throughout the last campaign. And so I look forward to working with the Trump administration going forward to execute on those. We've got a Republican trifecta. Now we have the Senate, the House and the white House starting in January. So I think you'll see a pretty brisk pace of policy starting in that first 100 days of 2025.

 

Erin Murphy

You are, well, in this past term, you were on the budget committee. The Appropriations committee. Do you hope to remain on that? And what other committee assignments are you hoping to get in this next term?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah. Well, and I think appropriations is going to be an incredibly important committee to be on. I served currently on Homeland Security appropriations. So think about the priorities of helping to secure the border. That's going to be a place where making sure our CBP agents are taking care of that, our ICE agents are taken care of. And that that department can execute on that agenda. Funding is going to be a critical part of that conversation, so I'm hopeful I get to stay there. I'm on agriculture and FDA subcommittee as well. Iowa ag is a huge priority for our state. So I look forward to continuing my work there. And then, you talk about government efficiency, and that has been a huge part of the conversation, especially in the last couple of weeks with the announcement of the, the DOGE, right. The Department of Government Efficiency. Oversight on those agencies and making sure we're following through and finding ways to reduce, government bloat and spending and bureaucracy. I think those are going to be great places for me to continue to, to serve Iowans. I also serve on the Select Committee on China and Competition with China. And I think, both Speaker Johnson and, Minority Leader Jeffries have made it clear they want that committee to continue. And I do think that's been, a great, bipartisan committee. We've gotten a lot of good recommendations out. And, I think it's really, really important we continue to be competitive with China.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

Congresswoman, you recently took your name out of the running for a House leadership role. Why did you decide to do that now?

 

Ashley Hinson

I wanted to focus on my district. I mean, I have 22 counties in northeast Iowa. I think you all know, I spend a lot of time on the road visiting all of those counties multiple times a year. And I didn't want to sacrifice, being able to serve my constituents in the way that I need to do that. And I think that that is maybe why I won by as much as I did, because I'm accessible, I'm transparent, and I go out in the district and I hear directly from Iowans. And I think the most important part about going forward in a Republican trifecta is that I can continue to deliver on what Iowans tell me they want. And so that that continues to be my priority and will continue to be my priority.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

Some political observers have wondered whether you kept your name out of that running to potentially keep yourself open to other future opportunities, like a U.S. Senate run. Is that something that you're interested in?

 

Ashley Hinson

We have Senator Grassley. We have Senator Ernst. We have two great senators here in Iowa. So I look forward to continuing to work with them. I was just reelected to continue to work with them. And so that's going to be my priority.

 

Kay Henderson

Prior to the election, House Speaker Johnson and other members of the House Republican caucus indicated that there's a 100 day plan for what you would like to accomplish after Congress is sworn in on January 3rd. President Trump has perhaps complicated that by taking people from the House caucus and nominating them to be members of his administration. So you have a very narrow majority. And your colleague Randy Feenstra from Iowa has indicated Trump tax cuts that will expire at the end of 2025 should pass in that first 100 days. How do you do that when you have a very, very tight majority?

 

Ashley Hinson

Well, I think tight majorities or what I'm certainly used to serving under, right? And we've had like a 3 or 4 seat majority the past two years for sure. I think what it comes down to is, our leadership on that committee, and they've been working with, with Randy and, frankly, our entire delegation. We've already been having a lot of these conversations for the past several months about what we need to do for a tax packag, going forward so we can execute very quickly. Jason Smith, the chair of Ways and Means, is from Missouri. I have a great relationship with him. He started having these listening sessions back in May earlier this year, and then actually had kind of subcommittees on areas of tax policy that we're going to need to include in that bill. So the Ways and Means Committee has already been working on this so that we could kind of hit the ground running in that first 100 days. And I think it is going to be about building that consensus. We have a diverse set of viewpoints in our Republican conference and in the entire House of Representatives. And so I think my goal is going to be to continue to make sure we're protecting our small business community, that we're protecting the middle class tax cuts. As I said before, on this program, if we allow those to expire, that will be a tax increase on Iowans. And the average Iowa family, that would be, I think, the equivalent of seven weeks of groceries. I know what groceries cost. I think we all do right now. And so I want to make sure we don't let that happen.

 

Erin Murphy

Congresswoman, you mentioned the border security coming up here. The American Immigration Council estimates there are 52,000 undocumented migrants in Iowa. Should we expect that all 52,000 of those will be deported in the next 2 to 4 years? And will that include family members if they're not necessarily, if some of them might have legal citizenship? Are we separating families?

 

Ashley Hinson

I think the main priority, as far as I'm looking at what ICE is going to be doing going forward, is getting out illegals that are dangerous to our communities. That, I think, should absolutely be our priority. I think it's really important that we have a serious conversation about, some of these people need to take a look at what's happening and probably consider self deporting. If they're here illegally, they should have that conversation. But I think the most important thing is we've got these gang members, sex crimes perpetrators. We've got some really dangerous people in our communities. And that's what I hope ICE is focused on. Because I mean, look at what was driving the headlines this week, right? Laken Riley's murder trial was playing out in Atlanta. That was a dangerous illegal who was here because of the failed policies of this current administration. So I'm hopeful that that is the priority. And then we can have a conversation about workforce, because I do think that's a conversation that needs to be had around legal workforce visas. That's a completely separate conversation as far as I'm concerned from illegal immigration.

 

Erin Murphy

Speaking of the first 100 days, President Trump, president elect Trump has said that this is a day one, thing for him. Do you expect that process to start immediately on January 20th I believe it is?

 

Ashley Hinson

On Inauguration Day. I hope he does take some serious action. And I think what you've seen is, even President Biden this week tried to loosen some restrictions on illegal immigrants and asylum. And you're seeing a whole lot of these cities now come out and say, oh yeah, we're not going to comply. As far as I'm concerned, we should be taking a look on appropriations then about if you're not going to comply with ICE detainers and directives on these people who are here illegally, then maybe you shouldn't be getting a whole bunch of federal funding to your cities. And that's a serious conversation that I think we as members of Congress need to have. But look, President Biden on day one signed a whole bunch of executive orders changing the scope for immigration and what that looked like at our southern border. So I'm hopeful President Trump does the same on January 20th.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst was in Storm Lake recently, and she told, she told the group gathered there that she didn't expect that this mass deportation would affect Storm Lake or affect, you know, Tyson there. What is your expectation of how this is going to affect Iowa communities?

 

Ashley Hinson

Well, again, I think it's about making sure that dangerous illegals are the first approach here. I think when you look at how many, it's over 10 million illegal immigrants. I think we know, probably at least 40,000 to 50,000 of those are really considered dangerous people. So I would hope that our local law enforcement are willing and are able to partner with our federal agencies. I don't think we have those kinds of problems here in Iowa like I was just referencing with some of these places that are, you know, indicating they're not going to comply. So I'm hopeful that that's the tactic that we take and we won't see huge disruptions like that to our communities here. But I want to go back to something I said the last time when we were doing our debate. You know, I've traveled through my district and I've seen that impact, you know, even in Iowa classrooms, right, where you have dozens and dozens of students coming into these districts that are not English speaking. It creates a challenge for our Iowa teachers and our Iowa students here. So that's where you see like the local impact of that. And I think that that's why I'm so passionate about making sure we have a good solution here, because it's just not sustainable. And it is having an impact on our communities.

 

Kay Henderson

What should we want to get other subjects, but real quickly, what should happen to DACA recipients who entered the country illegally when they were too young to make that decision? Their parents brought them here?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah, I actually would support a DACA fix. And I think that that's something that there is actually broad bipartisan support for. I think that's a case where many of these children were brought here through no fault of their own, right? And I think that's a completely different conversation than the mass encouragement of asylum seeking that we've seen under the Biden administration. The other place that I think we do need a policy fix, and I've co-sponsored legislation to do it, is, to make sure that the legal dreamers, the people who are brought here with their parents, who are maybe waiting green cards. Once they get to a certain age, they are forced out of the country. And I don't think that's fair. We have these kids who, you know, for example, came here with their parents when they were five years old. They're Americans, you know, at this point. And they've gone through our education system with legal status with their parents. And in many cases, they're getting engineering degrees from the University of Iowa or they're really smart people who we want to keep here. And so I think that that's absolutely a priority for me in the bigger conversation about legal immigration reform.

 

Kay Henderson

This past week, Matt Gaetz, who you served with, was nominated to be President Trump's attorney general. He's since withdrawn his nomination. For Iowans who don't know Matt Gaetz, what's he like since you served with him? Number one. And number two, do you foresee him having some other role in a Trump administration?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah. well, I did serve with Matt Gaetz. I wouldn't say that we were friends by any means. But what I will say about him is I definitely was concerned about the allegations that were surfacing. And so I think he made the right call by pulling himself out of the consideration to lead the DOJ. I think ultimately, I'm happy with President Trump's choice to nominate Pam Bondi. I think she's going to do a great job. She's done amazing things in Florida to not only stand up against, you know, criminals. But she's also fought against human trafficking and the drug cartels in Florida. So I think that she will be a good leader for the Department of Justice and refocusing there. I don't know what President Trump's plans are for Matt Gaetz. But, I think, you know at this point, we will have a special election to replace him. You talk about a narrow majority. He resigned from the House. And so that that leaves another vote that we're down. So I'm hopeful that Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, will set that election date soon. And, I think, Representative Gaetz, or former Representative Gaetz has indicated he's not planning to serve in the next Congress, so need to get that seat filled as soon as possible.

 

Kay Henderson

You mentioned that you had some concerns with allegations that were aired against him. There are allegations of a similar nature against the president elect's selection for defense secretary. Do you have similar concerns there?

 

Ashley Hinson

I always take every allegation seriously, and I think that the, the senators who are obviously tasked with advice and consent on all these nominees are going to ask those questions. And that is their job to do that. And I encourage them to do that thoroughly. And luckily, we have, again, great senators who are leading the charge there. And Chuck Grassley, he's on, you know, judiciary and will be chairing that committee. So he'll be leading the charge there. What I think is important about the nominee, Mr. Hegseth, is he is a decorated veteran and I do think he's a disrupter also. And I think when you look at what's happened with the Department of Defense and the bloat and the fact that, for instance, they weren't able to justify or even meet their audit, that's what we need is we need someone who's going to come in and challenge the status quo. And I think that's why with all the nominees you're seeing President Trump put forward, these are people who are disruptors and who are going to hopefully help make the change that the people have asked us for.

 

Erin Murphy

You earlier mentioned the department to the Department of Government Efficiency that's going to look at ways to cut spending up to $2 trillion in the federal government. That's obviously a very big number, even in the federal budget. And at some point there's only so much discretionary spending. You’re going to have to look at something like entitlement programs, or defense spending. What concern? And again, through the appropriations lens, too, when you've served on that budget committee, do you have any concerns that that's too big a number even given the goals of the Republican Party to reduce federal spending?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah. Well, going back to what the mandate is, I think, from the people of my district and the people of this country. I mean, they're tired of seeing the government spending be out of control. I mean, look, what $6 trillion that I voted against did to cause record inflation. That's a true tax on the American people. So I think what they have tasked us with is showing that we are going to go in and do that in a kind of blunt force way. They want to see that. And I think that's, as an appropriator, I'm excited to see what they kind of tee up for us. Trust me, one area where I saw them put something out, I think just yesterday, but it was on the workforce not showing up to work, right? And how many government agencies are not using their space, right? So there's $7 billion in taxpayer money that are going to pay for all these empty office spaces. And when I had the commissioner of the IRS and the FTC before us, they're telling us their work from home policies are they only have to be in the office one day every week, basically. I mean, that's unacceptable. And so if we're spending, these are some low hanging fruit places where I think we can come in and really find ways to meaningfully reduce spending. I think that's exactly what people want us to do. And that's the first step to making sure we're really in government spending.

 

Erin Murphy

The with that low hanging fruit. Is there enough of that to fill a basket and get to $2 trillion?

 

Ashley Hinson

I hope so. I can tell you there's a lot. And I certainly think that there are places where we absolutely need to be more efficient. And there is a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of bloat, both in the Department of Defense and amongst all these other government agencies. So I look forward to working with DOGE, and Elon, and Vivek, and I think they're very smart people who have the country's best interests at heart.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

We've talked about your work on the Appropriations Committee. Donald Trump has floated the possibility of bypassing Congress when it comes to spending. You know, if Congress appropriates money, possibly not spending it. How do you, are you comfortable with the possibility of the executive branch bypassing the work of Congress in that way?

 

Ashley Hinson

We are a co-equal branch of government, and I believe firmly that, yes, we want to help execute on President Trump's agenda. But we need, we are listening to our constituents also. And so I think it's really important that we support the president's agenda, but also do it in a in a meaningful way that our people have asked us to do. So I'm not afraid to do that. I think we need to be having those conversations about where funding needs to go and where our priorities are. And that will be something that I'm not afraid to talk to the president about what I agree with him on and what I disagree with him on.

 

Kay Henderson

So would you support him deciding that he just doesn't spend part of the budget that you present?

 

Ashley Hinson

So the executive branch has already a lot of latitude on that. I think what's important is if we direct government agencies to spend money that they should do that if it's for a specific purpose or intent. And we've conditioned money for years. I think that's the job of the Appropriations Committee is to say, hey, look, the Department of Defense is a great example. We want you to be investing in these weapons programs because based on our research and what we've learned on, for instance, the China Select Committee, we need to be competitive on Hypersonics, right. So I think you've seen those kinds of congressionally directed appropriations happen for years. what I don't want to see happen is, what we've seen under the current administration, which is some of these agencies that have slush funds like Department of Homeland Security, where they've used it to instead of actually executing on the agenda, they've actually funneled those dollars to non-profits that are then going to incentivize illegal immigration. So those are areas where I think using our oversight capabilities as appropriators is going to be important. I see that as important no matter who's in charge.

 

Kay Henderson

Speaking of weapons systems, Ukraine and Israel remain hotspots. And, there have been some escalation in the Ukraine area. Number one, what will happen in the next Congress about support for, maintaining support for Ukraine? And number two, what do you foresee the role of Iowan Matt Whitaker being in NATO as tensions rise in Europe with an aggressive Russia?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yeah, I think it's going to be incredibly important to have a strong voice at the table. And we saw Russia just launch those, I believe, hypersonic missiles into Ukraine. That's, I think, scary stuff. And every one of us should be alarmed. We cannot continue to project weakness on the global stage, and I'm encouraged that I think some of those conversations about hopefully cooling things are already happening. What I will say is that I believe President Trump will come in and hopefully bring that war to an end in Ukraine. And I think that's really, really important that we do that. I don't want to fund endless wars. And I think it's really, really important that we respect taxpayers. We continue to put America first. But America cannot be alone. And I think that's where making sure that we have a strong representative at NATO is going to be absolutely critical. I was in Poland earlier this year, met with many of our allies there, met with our military that’s stationed in Poland. There's a lot to be concerned about in that area. I think World War II and what happened there with, at the time, Germany. But I think everybody realizes how close those borders are, and they don't want to see that happen again.

 

Kay Henderson

And you were in Ukraine as well?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yes. Yes. That trip was…

 

Kay Henderson

What did you learn there?

 

Ashley Hinson

That trip was to Poland, Ukraine and Moldova. And so, you know, that was in my mind really important for, you know, oversight. When we're sending a lot of our money, a lot of taxpayer money, I want to make sure it's going where it's intended to go. And so I thought it was really important. We had a good sit down with our brigadier general who's stationed right on the border of Poland and Ukraine. They're in charge of all the logistics, for example, of getting equipment that we're helping to support into Ukraine and making sure it's not sabotaged by Russian actors and bad actors. So that trip for me was really important for the oversight capabilities of making sure our military is executing on what we are funding. But also in Ukraine, seeing the actual damage that's being done to these cities. The humanitarian crisis that Russia has caused. I mean, they, there were many of these places where they perpetrated, I believe, war crimes. And I'm hopeful that, you know, as we talk about resolving the end of that war, that people are also held accountable for the atrocities that they committed.

 

Erin Murphy

Congresswoman, president elect Trump, ran obviously one of his central policy issues was tariffs. And he is proposing 20% tariffs on all imports into the country. Typically the president issues tariffs on an emergency basis, and it's actually usually Congress's job. Are you comfortable with deferring to the administration, the new administration on this, or do you think Congress should be involved in this tariff discussion?

 

Ashley Hinson

I think Congress is going to be involved in the discussion, if I have anything to say about it. But I think the most important conversation here is we need to be competitive and we need to be focusing on trade relationships. And I think that ultimately is what President Trump and his administration want to see is America's standing on the global stage as far as trade enhanced. We haven't seen real emphasis on trade out of this administration. And now we have, you know, major trade deficits. And China continues to take advantage of us. So when I look at, for example, my role on the select committee, I have a bill that I'm actually hoping to get through in the lame duck here in the next couple of weeks that is focused on going after trade crimes. We know, you know, these foreign actors are going around our laws and our tariffs. They're transnational shipping, for example. So my bill would allow the DOJ to have a specific task force to go after those. So I'm hopeful we're able to work in concert with the Trump administration. My biggest concern here is Iowa agriculture. Agriculture is always the first lever that, for instance, if we put a across the board tariff on China, that's the first level they'll pull is they'll harm our producers. And so I'm not sure we're in the same position we were in, you know, 5 or 6 years ago where we were able to just cut a check to balance that out. Especially if we're having these conversations about debt and reducing spending at the same time. So that's where my biggest concern will lie. And I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure Iowa agriculture is protected in that conversation.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

House Republican Leader Mike Johnson recently said that, he promised a massive overhaul of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. Is that back on the table? Renegotiating the Affordable Care Act?

 

Ashley Hinson

I'm not sure. I actually, I would defer to my colleague Mariannette Miller-Meeks. She's on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which would be the committee that covers that jurisdiction. What I can tell you is important is I think Iowans are tired of seeing their health care costs continue to go up. We have seen inflation across the board, and the health care industry has not been immune from that. I think that's the most important thing in the conversation is I'm going to be focusing on policies that help to drive down costs for consumers in health care and across every sector.

 

Brianne Pfannenstiel

Would you support looking at that again?

 

Ashley Hinson

I think we have to look at health care. It's a huge expense. There's a lot of inefficiency in health care. What I don't want to see is policies that are going to continue to stifle innovation in this country. I think our health care cures are, you know, advancing at a more rapid pace than in Europe, for example. They have a lot more regulation. So are there ways where we can reduce regulatory burdens to drive down those costs? I think that's what we need to take a look at. But you look at health care premiums under the Affordable Care Act. I call it the Unaffordable Care Act because the average family has seen their premiums increased by, I think, more than double. And I think that's when I look at a cost to an Iowa family, when they're already seeing increases in groceries and energy. Health care is the other biggest expense, and we want to make sure that is affordable and accessible.

 

Kay Henderson

We've got about ten seconds left. Will the farm bill be extended in December?

 

Ashley Hinson

Yes. And I'm frustrated about that too. I wish we were able to pass a full farm bill. I wish the Senate had taken it more seriously. They just put out their bill this week. But we'll work on a farm bill and getting that across the finish line in the 119th.

 

Kay Henderson

Well, we have crossed the finish line in terms of time that we have for this conversation today. Thanks for being with us, Ashley Hinson.

 

Ashley Hinson

Of course. Thank you for having me.

 

Kay Henderson

You may watch every episode of Iowa Press on Iowapbs.org. For everyone here at Iowa PBS, thanks for watching.

 

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Funding for Iowa Press was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.

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Across Iowa, hundreds of neighborhood banks strive to serve their communities, provide jobs and help local businesses. Iowa banks are proud to back the life you build. Learn more at Iowa bankers dot com.