Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) stood by President Trump and the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” Wednesday as she faced down raucous crowds and pointed questions from constituents at two town hall events in her district.
The town halls in Elkader and Decorah were the first large in-person forums the Iowa congress member has held since the House passed Trump’s massive legislative tax and spending package last week, The Des Moines Register noted.
She defended the bill — as she was jeered, booed and called a “liar”— and dismissed “misinformation” from Democrats who describe the bill as a tax cut for the rich.
“I don’t know why you boo tax relief for you. I think it’s really important that you get to keep more of your own money,” Hinson said to the crowd, touting the bill as an example of “promises made, promises kept.”
She said she was “proud” to have voted for the bill and later reassured a crowd member that Medicaid work requirements in the bill would not apply to those with disabilities.
The crowd got animated at mention of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to slash government spending at the Department of Government Efficiency, with one constituent saying it’s like giving a “billionaire a chainsaw,” the Register reported.
“I’m not only speaking for myself, but I’m speaking for all of the veterans, all of the federal workers that are out there,” the constituent said, according to the news outlet. “People don’t need a billionaire, like Musk, running our country.”
Hinson defended the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.
“I think that Elon Musk came in and helped to join and lead a team of people who are actively working to find this waste, fraud and abuse every single day,” she said, according to the Register.
“Some of the things that they are discovering every day would make your skin crawl,” she added.
At the Decorah town hall, one audience member asked Hinson about the Pentagon accepting a new luxury airliner from Qatar on Trump’s behalf, and the president selling his own meme coin.
“Could you help me understand why you are silent about this corruption?” the crowd member asked Hinson.
Hinson defended the Qatar jet deal as ethical and noted she and her husband sold public stocks when entering Congress to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
Hinson pledged to continue holding town halls and continue being transparent, in a post after the event.
“I will always tell you where I stand,” she wrote in a post on X. “I enjoyed hearing from constituents at my in-person town halls today and sharing more about my work with President Trump to secure the border and lower taxes for the middle-class. Thanks to everyone who came out – I’ll continue to be accessible and transparent to you.”
Hinson also noted some people at the town hall praised efforts by the Trump administration, criticizing news outlets for failing to include those remarks.
“I’m not afraid to face anyone and defend the Trump agenda that is going to help Iowa families, farmers, & workers. That’s why I do town halls across the district,” Hinson added in a subsequent post.
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