Ashley Hinson, a Republican U.S. Representative who is running for U.S. Senate in 2026, told reporters lawmakers are looking forward to an announcement next week on potential farm aid.
Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, spoke with reporters after touring Amhof Trucking Company in Eldridge Thursday.
Hinson was asked if the current government shutdown could impact President Donald Trump’s administration’s reported consideration of additional aid for the agriculture industry as China holds off on buying U.S. soybeans because of tariffs.
“That’s a separate conversation” from the shutdown, she said.
“President Trump’s making sure that our farmers are going to be taken care of, and we’re looking forward to an announcement, I think next week, from (Treasury) Secretary (Scott) Bessent on what we might be able to do to help support our American agriculture industry,” Hinson said.
Hinson said the U.S. must have a “level playing field” and needs new trade agreements.
“I think President Trump is doing the right thing to try to get China to the table and a lot of our other trading partners to come to the table and get a better deal, but we do need to make sure that we have the ability to feed and fuel the world, and so that is something I know they’re taking very seriously and President Trump will not abandon Iowa’s farmers,” Hinson said.
Hinson repeated statements about the government shutdown, which started Wednesday. She called it the “Schumer shutdown,” accusing Democrats of holding the government hostage.
“They need to come to the table with a serious proposal,” Hinson said. “And right now what they’re talking about is just talking points.”
Asked if she would consider supporting Democrats’ proposals for extending Affordable Care Act tax credits and reversing reduced spending on Medicaid, Hinson said:
“Let me just say this about Medicaid. The only people who needed to worry about losing Medicaid were illegal immigrants or people who were gaming the system. So, I think that’s a non-starter with us. But, again, they need to have a serious proposal and what they are doing is holding the government funding hostage over something that doesn’t even expire until the end of the year.
“So, if they’re willing to come to the table and open the government, we’re willing to have a conversation about how we make sure we lower health care premiums for the American people, but we need to do it by keeping the government open, and when they’re doing playing politics, they’re putting at risk national defense by not making sure our military and our border patrol are paid,” Hinson said.
Democrats are seeking an extension of tax credits that millions of Americans use to buy insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges and a reversal of Medicaid cuts made in the bill Trump signed into law in July, according to the Associated Press.
The law Trump signed would also restrict the eligibility of lawfully present immigrants such as refugees and asylees for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and Medicare, according to the Associated Press. Democrats are looking to reverse that.
Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are not eligible for any federal health care programs, including insurance provided through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, according to the Associated Press. Hospitals do receive Medicaid reimbursements — which would be reduced under Trump’s bill — for emergency care that they are obligated to provide to people who meet other Medicaid eligibility requirements but do not have an eligible immigration status, according to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sarah Watson
Davenport, Scott County, local politics
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