Iowa’s Hinson defends DOGE; fields questions on tariffs, egg prices and Social Security

Iowans raised concerns over record-high egg prices, sweeping reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports and cuts to the Social Security Administration during a telephone town hall Wednesday evening hosted by Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Hinson, of Marion, emphasized her commitment to cutting wasteful spending, securing the border and supporting President Donald Trump's policies, including extending tax cuts set to expire this year that Trump had approved in 2017 during his first term.

The three-term incumbent joined House Republicans last month in voting for a budget framework that calls for steep spending cuts to help offset the cost of extending the 2017 tax cuts and implement new ones at a cost of $4.5 trillion over the next decade.

The plan instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, to identify at least $880 billion in mandatory spending cuts over a decade.

While the resolution doesn’t specifically mention Medicaid, experts and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office say it would not be possible for Republicans to hit that target without significant cuts to the health care program, as it’s one of the largest sources of federal spending.

Trump has insisted his administration will not cut benefits for Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, but will address eligibility to protect traditional Medicaid populations.

House Republican have said they plan to remove “waste, fraud and abuse" within the joint federal and state program for low-income Americans, as well as some older adults, pregnant women and people with disabilities. Many House members also support work requirements that could limit eligibility for benefits.

Hinson said she is committed to ensuring Medicaid is used for those who truly need it and can be sustained long-term.

“Republicans have been clear, we don’t want to cut benefits to people. We want to strengthen these programs for current and future beneficiaries,” she said. “Like many people probably on this call tonight, I have parents on both Social Security and Medicare.”

Hinson emphasizes the importance of protecting these programs and ensuring they serve the most vulnerable.

“I don’t want to see a 29-year-old man sitting on his couch playing video games, going on Medicaid, when he should be working,” she said. “ … This is about ensuring that all those tax dollars are being used to get the benefits to those who truly need them. And I think that is, again, that is at the heart of what I want to see happen with” Trump's and billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to root out “waste, fraud and abuse” through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

All four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U.S. House voted for the GOP budget proposal. Hinson said she voted for the framework so Iowans do not see their paychecks shrink.

“The reality is, the average taxpayer in my district will see about a 25 percent tax hike if the Trump tax cuts expire at the end of this year,” equivalent to about seven weeks worth of groceries for a family of four, she said.

Hinson introduced legislation Thursday to codify a Trump executive order that directs the Treasury Department to establish pre-certification and pre-award verification procedures for payments made by the Treasury on behalf of federal agencies. The procedures include ensuring full funds are available prior to obligations, verifying payee and payment information and confirming that specific funds are used for the their intended purposes.

Hinson said the bill will improve the federal government's ability to screen for improper payments and fraud, track transactions and manage the government’s disbursements.

The Government Accountability Office estimates the federal government loses between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud due to inadequate data and outdated systems.

Social Security budget, workforce cuts

Hinson also was asked about plans by the Social Security Administration to cut or avoid spending $800 million this fiscal year and to reduce its workforce by more than 12 percent, eliminating some 7,000 jobs to align with an executive order from Trump.

Experts have said the cuts could make it harder for beneficiaries to contact Social Security and could disrupt benefits.

“How do you plan to ensure that Iowans continue to receive timely and effective Social Security services in light of those cuts?” a caller from Dubuque asked.

Hinson, a member of the House DOGE Caucus, reiterated she’s committed to supporting Trump’s and Musk’s efforts “cutting waste, fraud and abuse so we can sustain the key programs and investments that Iowans do care about.”

She encouraged Iowa veterans, seniors and others to contact her office for help if they encounter problems accessing federal benefits and services.

Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley warned during a news conference last week hosted by the Iowa Democratic Party that the budget and workforce reductions could lead to an inability to make payments to seniors on time.

O’Malley said significant staff cuts have already led to intermittent IT outages that may happen more frequently and for more extended periods of time.

The Social Security Administration, in a news release, said the planned reorganization will "prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions."

New Trump tariffs and egg prices

Hinson also addressed concerns about egg prices and tariffs.

Wednesday, Trump unveiled a 10 percent tariff on all imports, plus reciprocal tariffs on dozens of nations.

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He has promised the new policy will bring in revenues to be put toward tax cuts and deficit reduction, and boost U.S. manufacturing, the Associated Press and NPR reported. Economists, however, broadly agree that U.S. companies and consumers will bear the brunt of the tariffs.

Hinson said she believes tariffs are a “tool in the toolbox” to protect the U.S. economy from unfair trade practices by other counties.

“President Trump's goal is free and fair trade,” she said. “I do want to ensure that that's carried out in a way that can minimize damage to our producers and provide some certainty, while also making sure we're not being taken advantage of on the global stage.”

Hinson noted the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday the launch of agricultural trade promotion programs for 2025 that open up additional funding to help U.S. agricultural producers promote and sell their goods internationally.

Additionally, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ this week outlined plans to promote U.S. agricultural exports, including trips to India, Japan, Peru, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

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On egg prices, Hinson noted the USDA in February announced a $1 billion plan to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza, including investments in biosecurity, farmer relief and research on vaccines, therapeutics and “other strategies to help alleviate the need for them to … kill off their entire flock.”

Bird flu outbreaks have led to a significant reduction in the number of egg-laying chickens, causing egg prices to rise dramatically.

Hinson supports GOP push to restrict federal judges

Hinson also highlighted her support for legislation that would restrict federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions that have blocked White House executive orders.

Judges have issued orders halting the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants to unfamiliar countries without the chance to challenge their removal in court, shutter federal agencies and undertake mass firings of federal workers.

Hinson said the injunctions amount to “judicial overreach” by “partisan federal judges.”

“Congress is certainly taking a look at how we can actually reform the judicial branch that doesn't have that universal power to override the executive branch,” she said. “But I do think that there still needs to be those checks and balances there … while still ensuring that folks do have a place to sue and challenge and seek injunctive relief. I believe in that due process, accountability in that process and our nation's Constitution. … Because I don't believe we should have activist judges on either side.”

Hinson’s office said about 8,600 individuals joined Wednesday’s telephone town hall.

Those on the call could push buttons on their phone to be placed in a queue to ask a question.

“And I think it goes without saying when I do my town hall publicly, too, I don't screen questions,” Hinson said during the town hall. “And I think it's a little different in this environment where we have it coming in on that, but I appreciate it, and I do want to take questions from a variety of opinions.”

Hinson’s office later clarified that in order or to join the queue of questions, callers speak with a staffer from her office to be placed the queue. Questions are answered in order that callers are placed in the queue, according to a spokesperson, and took as many as time allowed during the hourlong town hall. Her office said it also follows up with callers as needed who had questions not answered on the call

Hinson again said she intends to continue hosting in-person public town halls across Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District yet this Congress. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently urged his colleagues to skip in-person public forums after heated confrontations and protests over Trump's policies and executive orders.

Hinson said she’s done 42 in-person town halls since taking office in 2021 and made 26 visits covering 17 counties while being in session nine out of the 12 weeks since Congress convened in January.

“I am looking forward to, once again, holding a town hall in every county in the district this Congress,” she said.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com